Coming Together
by mystery of the mist
Summary: Two little girls will forever change Steve's life.  WILL MOST LIKELY CONTAIN DISCIPLINARY SPANKING AT SOME POINT
1. The Girls

**Disclaimer-I don't own this awesome show!**

**This is my first Hawaii Five-0 fic. I have plans for this to be around 10-15 chapters. I hope you enjoy it!**

It had been a long day for the Five-0 team. They had just closed a case of husband and wife serial killers. And, of course, there was a problem. The husband and wife had two daughters, and now that they would be in prison for the rest of their lives, the daughters had nowhere to go.

Since it was already after ten o'clock and everyone else had gone home, Steve had to handle the situation.

Twelve-year-old Serenity sat beside her sister, seven-year-old Willow. Steve sat across from them.

"It's late, and you two both need sleep, so I'm gonna take you to my house," Steve announced.

Serenity looked surprised. "What?"

"You two need a place to stay, and there are extra rooms in my house. Come on, your sister's already falling asleep."

Serenity nodded. "Okay." She stood up and looked at her sister, unsure of what to do.

"I got her," Steve said, lifting the half-asleep girl. He lead the way to his truck and gently placed Willow in the back seat, carefully putting the seat buckle around her. Then he looked at Serenity. "Come on."

"I can sit in the front," she argued. "I'm not a little kid."

Steve smiled. "Never said you were."

Serenity sat in the passenger's seat as Steve drove underneath a dark sky.

Awkwardly, Steve attempted to make conversation with Serenity. "How's school?"

"Boring."

"What's your favorite subject?"

"Science."

What was it with the one word answers? But Steve had to admit he had no idea how to talk to kids.

"We're home," Steve announced, getting out of the truck. Serenity followed him.

"She's still sleeping," Steve remarked, lifting Willow into his arms.

Serenity silently followed Steve into the house. There was a woman sitting on the couch watching TV.

The woman looked up and smiled. "Aw, Steve, you look so cute holding a little girl!"

"Mary, go to bed."

"Hey, just because I'm your little sister doesn't mean you can tell me what to do."

"Just go."

Mary sighed. "Fine."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Do you have anything for the girls to sleep in?" Steve asked.

Mary smiled. "Of course! Let's go to my room."

Steve and Serenity followed Mary down to her room. Then the doorbell rang.

"Good, go get the door. I'm sure-what's your name, sweetie?"

"Serenity."

"I'm sure Serenity doesn't want you in here while she's changing."

Steve nodded, placing Willow on Mary's bed. He walked out of the room to answer the door, thinking, _Who the hell is here this late?_

When he opened the door, Steve was in for a shock. A brunette woman wearing a blue dress stood in the doorway, smiling.

"Hey. My sister's birthday party just ended," she said.

"Holy shit, Cath, it should be illegal to look as hot as you do right now."

Catherine smiled and looked down. Being in the navy, she didn't typically have the chance to be girly and receive compliments.

"You can come in but..."

"Oh. You have another girl over," Catherine said, her smile fading.

"No, no, no!" Steve exclaimed. "It's complicated. I want you to spend the night and you can, but just nothing...beyond that. Two little girls from a case my team is working on are here. They're with my sister right now."

"If you have little girls in the house, I don't think I should stay. But they're from a case? Oh, no, what happened?"

"Their parents were serial killers. They're sentenced to prison for the rest of their lives. The girls had nowhere to go so they ended up here."

"Aw, Steve, that's so sweet!" Catherine said. "I knew you were a softy inside."

Steve shook his head. "Here, come in. You can meet them."

He closed the door after Catherine came in.

"So who am I?"

"What do you mean?" Steve asked.

"What are you going to tell the girls?"

"I'll tell them you're my girlfriend, aren't you?"

Catherine giggled inside, but kept a strong outside. "Yeah."

Just as they were approaching Mary's room, Mary came out with Serenity and a now awake Willow.

"Willow, Serenity, this is my girlfriend Catherine," Steve introduced.

"Hi, girls," Catherine said, smiling.

"Hi. I'm Serenity," the older sister replied timidly. There was a new person here, and whenever there was a new person working for her parents, it was always bad news. "This is my sister Willow."

Willow was half-asleep again. She gave a little wave before leaning against Serenity.

"Alright, I think it's time for you two to get some sleep," Steve declared. "Serenity, there's a spare bedroom right next to Mary's room. I'll be there in a minute. I'm gonna take Willow into another spare bedroom."

Mary led Serenity to what Steve called a spare bedroom. It was actually his old bedroom. Now he used the master bedroom.

"Goodnight, Steve," Catherine said before heading out.

"Goodnight, Cath. Come over tomorrow morning."

She nodded before leaving.

Steve carried Willow into the spare bedroom. "If you need anything, Willow, just call me."

"Okay. Night," Willow muttered, leaning back on the pillow.

Steve smiled. "Night, honey."

Was this what it felt like to be responsible for kids? Steve now understood how Danny felt with Grace. It was as if there was an unspoken promise to keep the girls safe and protective them from anything.

He walked to his old room where he told Serenity to go. He was surprised to find her standing beside the bed. He had assumed she would be very tired.

"Steve?" Serenity called out.

"Serenity, what's wrong?" Steve questioned.

"I can't sleep alone," she explained. "I've seen my parents do terrible things. It gives me nightmares. I usually stay with Willow, but she's already asleep now."

Realizing the girl was near tears, Steve did the first thing that came to his mind. He wrapped her in a hug, rubbing her back as she cried.

"You can sleep with me, honey. Let's go."

Serenity continued to cry on the way to Steve's current bedroom. Steve tucked her into bed and laid down next to her, determined to do whatever he could to help both girls.

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	2. The Social Worker

**Disclaimer-I don't own this awesome show!**

**This is my first Hawaii Five-0 fic. I have plans for this to be around 10-15 chapters. I hope you enjoy it!**

Steve woke up during the middle of the night after hearing whimpers. He looked down at Serenity. She was still sound asleep, not making a sound. It must be Willow.

Careful to not wake up Serenity, Steve quietly stood up. With one last glance at the sleeping form of the twelve-year-old girl, he headed down to the spare bedroom.

Willow was kicking and moving her arms as she whimpered. Steve placed a hand on her shoulder. "Willow! Willow, honey, wake up, it's just a dream."

It took a few moments for Willow to wake up. When she did, she immediately cowered at the sight of Steve. "Don't hurt me," she pleaded.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, Willow. You're safe, okay?"

Willow nodded. "I had a bad dream."

"Steve?" A voice came from the door. "Why did you leave?"

"Your sister had a nightmare," he explained.

Serenity nodded. "She gets them a lot."

"And how does she go back to sleep?"

Serenity shrugged. "She'll just cry herself to sleep. It could take ten minutes or even a half hour."

Steve sighed, looking sadly at Willow. Her blond hair was going in all different directions as she allowed some tears to make their way down her cheeks.

"What do you say we take her back to my room with us?" Steve asked.

Serenity nodded. "If she's with people, she'll probably fall asleep faster."

"Willow, I'm gonna take you back to my room, alright?"

Willow nodded, feeling Steve lift her up.

In just a minute, Serenity and Willow were on either side of Steve. The Navy SEAL would never have guessed that he would ever have taken in two little girls, never mind comfort them.

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since Steve had first taken Willow and Serenity in. He had spoken with the governor about adoption and she had the process sped up for him. But there were requirements. First, there would be a social service worker that would come and review things. Second, the girls had to have a proper education. That step had been taken care of since they were already in the Honolulu school system. The next step was the girls had to receive care from a child psychiatrist because of their traumatic upbringing.

Today was the day a social service worker would be coming to their house. Steve had made sure that everything was in order to make a good impression. The girls were very nervous, and Steve had to admit that he was, too.

When the doorbell rang, Steve rushed to answer it, not wanting to keep the social worker waiting. A woman in her late forties with a file in her hand introduced herself as Caroline.

"Come in," Steve said. "This is Serenity and this is Willow."

"Hello," Caroline said with a nod.

"Hi," the girls replied in unison.

"Okay, so I'm going to talk to all three of you seperately and then go on a tour of the house," Caroline explained. "Willow, can you show me your room?"

Willow looked at Steve who smiled in encouragement. The seven-year-old looked back at Caroline and said, "Yes."

Willow brought Caroline to her room. She winced as Caroline closed the door, knowing that Steve was downstairs. She was, in her mind, far away from his protection.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, Willow," the social worker stated. "Why don't we have a seat?"

Willow sat on her bed and Caroline sat on a chair beside a desk.

"How old are you, Willow?"

"Seven," the girl replied proudly.

"And what grade are you in?"

"I'm in second grade and I'm very smart."

Caroline smiled. "Do you like living with Steve?"

Willow nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Steve's awesome! Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"In my head, I call Steve 'Daddy,'" Willow whispered. "When I talk about him, can I say Daddy?"

"Absolutely."

That brought a smile to Willow's face.

"So you feel comfortable here?" Caroline questioned.

"Yes."

"Is this better than living with your parents?"

Willow looked like she was going to cry when her real parents were mentioned, so Caroline quickly said, "Never mind. Are there other people who come here a lot?"

"Yeah, there's Auntie Mary. She's Daddy's sister. Then there's Auntie Kono. She's not really my aunt by I call her that, just like Uncle Chin and Uncle Danny. Uncle Danny's daughter Grace is like my cousin and she's my best friend. And there's Cath, Daddy's girlfriend. She's like a mommy."

"It sounds like you're very happy here, Willow," Caroline commented.

"I am. So does this mean I get to stay with Daddy?"

"I'm pretty sure."

* * *

A few minutes later, Caroline was having a similar conversation in Serenity's room.

"How old are you, Serenity?"

"Don't you have that in your file?"

"Yes, but it's standard procedure."

"I'm twelve. And you're probably going to ask what grade I'm in. I'm in seventh grade."

Caroline nodded. "Now on to the stuff I don't have on my file. Do you like living here?"

"Very much. I consider Steve my dad."

"Your sister told me about your extended family. How do you feel about Mary?"

"She's like an older sister and an aunt at the same time. She can be really cool at times, and then there are times when she knows she has to be strict."

"And Kono?" Caroline asked.

"The same way as Mary."

"How about Chin and Danny?"

"They're really cool, too."

"And Grace?"

"She's basically my cousin."

Caroline nodded, all the while taking down notes. "And what about Steve's girlfriend?"

Serenity was silent for a few moments before saying, "Catherine? She's...well, I don't really care for her, but Willow likes her, so I don't complain. But that doesn't change anything, does it?"

Caroline shook her head. "No. How is this in comparison to how you used to live with your biological parents?"

Serenity paused. "Umm...I don't really want to talk about them."

"That's understandable. Now, I'm going to talk to Steve."

* * *

"So you're a Navy SEAL, correct?"

Steve nodded, feeling awkward. "Yes, but now I'm working as a cop. I work for the governor's task force."

"That's how you met Serenity and Willow?"

"Yes."

"From what I've heard from them, you're doing a very good job."

"Oh. Thank you," Steve answered, yet again awkwardly.

Caroline smiled. "I can tell you're worried, but you have no need to be. Serenity just told me that she considers you as her dad. Willow told me she calls you Daddy in her head."

Steve couldn't believe that. "Really?"

Caroline nodded. "It's true. But I have one concern."

Steve tensed. "Oh."

"I'm sorry, I made that sound worse that it is. Actually, it's to do with your girlfriend."

Steve nodded, not liking where this was going.

"Willow really likes her. She told me, and I quote her, 'She's like a mommy.'"

That took away a little of Steve's tenseness. "Then I don't understand. How is this a concern?"

Caroline sighed. "Well, Serenity doesn't really like her."

Steve put his head in his hands. "Oh, no."

"I'm sure it can be easily addressed. I'd suggest taking the girls to see a child psychiatrist. They both are having problems with their past, and it would also be a good time to bring up Catherine. I have a list of doctors you could go to, but I definitely recommend Dr. Harrison. He just graduated from college, so he knows the most recent developments in pediatric psychiatry. Since he has opened an office a few months ago, there have been nothing but positive comments from people."

With a nod, Steve said, "Okay. Thank you very much."

"Of course. And I would schedule appointments immediately. Dr. Harrison is currently accepting new patients."

* * *

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	3. The Psychiatrist

**Disclaimer-I don't own this awesome show!**

**This is my first Hawaii Five-0 fic. I have plans for this to be around 10-15 chapters. I hope you enjoy it!**

The sea of toys and books and the brightly colored walls of Dr. Harrison's waiting room made Steve uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being around kids, especially a whole waiting room full of them. But thankfully, there were only three other kids besides Willow and Serenity. There was a girl who appeared to be a few years older than Serenity dressed in black from head to toe. There was another girl who was probably aged somewhere in between Serenity and Willow with glasses and braces that seemed to lack self-esteem. Lastly, a boy around Willow's age sat between his parents, saying, "I don't wanna go" over and over again.

"I don't need to see a shrink," Serenity complained. "And besides, there's no un-seeing what I've seen my parents do."

"This will be good for you and your sister," Steve said.

Serenity shook her head. "No it won't be! You're forcing me to do something I don't want to do!"

Before Steve had the chance to reply, the receptionist called out, "Serenity?"

"I'm not going," Serenity told Steve, looking straight ahead and clinging to the arms of the chair she was sitting in.

"Yes, you are," Steve said sternly.

She shook her head. "I refuse to."

"Now."

The command was so short yet so powerful. Serenity looked up at Steve in shock. Not once in the two weeks she'd lived with him had he been that stern. In fact, Serenity couldn't even recall a time that he'd been stern at all!

With a sigh, Serenity stood up. "I don't want to talk to anyone."

"I know, Serenity, but you need to. You've been traumatized so much that you need to overcome it."

"But you'll be right here?"

Steve nodded. "I won't leave."

He watched as Serenity followed the receptionist down a hallway until she was out of sight.

* * *

"You can have a seat here," the receptionist said, gesturing to a chair across from a desk. "Dr. Harrison should be in here shortly."

The receptionist left, leaving Serenity alone.

She sat down, glancing around. The walls were painted a happy shade of blue that would rival the light color of the sky. There was a filing cabinet pushed up against one of the walls. A computer sat on the mahogany desk. A painting decorated one of the walls.

"Hello, Serenity," a male voice greeted.

A young doctor entered the room, closing the door behind him. He sat behind the desk.

"I'm Dr. Harrison. We're going to be discussing several things today. First, I'd like you to tell me a little bit about school."

"It's fine. There's nothing really interesting."

Dr. Harrison nodded. "I know what you mean. Are you a good student?"

"I try to be."

"Do you have a lot of friends?"

Serenity shook her head. "I don't really talk to anyone."

Dr. Harrison made note of that in a notebook. "What do you like to do?"

"I like to play basketball and read."

Another note in the notebook. "Basketball's fun. Why don't you tell me about living with Steve?"

"It's much better than living with my parents. Steve actually makes sure that we eat, feel okay, do our homework, and have fun."

"So you'd like this situation to be permanent?"

Serenity nodded. "Yes."

"Now, I've spoken with the social worker who came to your house. Caroline told me you didn't like Steve's girlfriend. Why don't you like Catherine?"

Serenity shrugged. "She acts too much like a mother. I mean, she barely sees me for an hour each day. Sure, she comes to help Steve with dinner and she talks to us, but it's not enought to make her my mom. I don't get why she even bothers."

"Maybe she wants to be your mother. Maybe she really does care about you."

"I don't know. It's gotten on my nerves a lot."

Dr. Harrison wrote that in his notebook. "Okay, we need to talk about living with your parents. I know this may be hard for you, but you need to get past it. I'm going to ask you a few questions. Can you do your best to answer them for me?"

With reluctance, Serenity gave a nod.

"There we go. If there's anything you feel uncomfortable answering, don't hesitate to tell me, alright?"

Serenity nodded. "Alright."

"Okay, onto the first question. Do things you've seen your parents do keep you up at night?"

"Yes," Serenity whispered.

"When you feel that way, try to concentrate on something positive. For example, you could think of things you like to do, like playing basketball and reading. You could think of the people that you love. You could think of how much better your life is now. Try to focus on the fact that you're not with your parents, but you're with Steve, who will do anything to keep you safe and comfortable. Can you do that?"

"I'll try."

"And that's all that needs to happen. You just have to try," Dr. Harrison explained. "That's the only way things will get better. Now, are there times when you feel like you are back with your parents?"

Serenity nodded. "When kids are mean to me at school," she whispered, looking down.

"Serenity, you're contradicting yourself. Earlier you told me you don't talk to other kids. Now you're saying kids are bullying you. You don't have to be afraid to tell me anything. How are kids mean to you?"

"They call me names and they make fun of me all the time."

"Have you ever told anyone about this?"

"How could I?"

Dr. Harrison sighed. "You're right. You haven't been in a situation where you're able to tell someone. Have you thought about telling Steve?"

"Do you think I should?"

"How about I talk to him about it?"

* * *

Immediately after Serenity stepped back into the waiting room, Steve asked, "How'd it go?"

"Fine. Dr. Harrison wants to talk to you."

Steve nodded. "Alright. Stay with your sister."

* * *

Sitting in that square room across from Dr. Harrison, Steve felt like he was in the principal's office. He had no control over the situation. It didn't involve strength or power.

"Serenity explained to me that she is having problems in school. Not academically, but socially. Has she mentioned anything about other students bullying her?" Dr. Harrison questioned.

Steve shook his head. "I haven't heard anything."

"It's definitely something you should ask her about. If you ask her how school was, her answer will most likely be 'fine,' but she isn't telling you how her day really was. In this situation, you would sit down and talk to her. If she refuses to give any further details, it means that she most likely had problems that day. After you talk to her about it, the best thing to do would be to talk to her school guidance counselor."

Steve nodded.

"Now, we addressed the problem Serenity has with your girlfriend," Dr. Harrison stated.

"I don't understand why she doens't like her. Catherine's great to her. And I don't ignore Serenity when Catherine's around. I make sure she's okay," Steve said.

"None of it is your fault, and none of it is Catherine's fault. There is nothing to worry about there. Actually, Serenity is having trouble accepting that Catherine is only there to help her. She thinks Catherine is trying too hard to be her mother when she only sees her an hour each day. This is something you and Catherine would sit and talk with Serenity about."

Steve was silent for a moment before asking, "How do you think Serenity will react to me proposing to Catherine?"

"She might react better than you believe. It would mean she'd be living with Catherine, and it would be easier to accept the mothering concept. On the other hand, she could see it as you betraying her. But however she reacts, you cannot allow her to control your relationship with Catherine. It would make Serenity feel like she can always get her way as long as she complains."

Steve sighed. "How soon should Catherine and I talk to her?"

"I'd say very soon."

Wanting to change the subject, Steve asked what Serenity had to say about her parents.

"Serenity is constantly haunted by memories of horrible things she has seen her parents do. These memories are keeping her awake at night. Has she told you about this?"

"There was only one time when she had to sleep with me, and that was the first night. I had assumed it was just because she wasn't used to the new environment."

"Tonight before she goes to sleep, tell her that if anything is keeping her up, she can come see you. It is important that she knows she can go to you for help with anything," Dr. Harrison explained. "And that covers everything. Willow is next. Considering her age, I think it would be best if you were in the room while I talk to her."

With a nod, Steve rose to his feet to go get his other charge.

* * *

Willow's session was going very well until the questions about her parents came up.

"I don't wanna talk about it!" she cried, burying her head in Steve's shoulder.

"I know, honey, but it'll get better if you talk about it," Steve comforted, still with that awkwardness he had with talking to kids.

"Can you tell me why you don't want to talk about it?" Dr. Harrison asked.

"'Cause I don't wanna think about it! They're mean to me!"

"How are they mean to you, Willow?" Dr. Harrison questioned.

Willow shrugged. "All kinds of ways! They hurt me and Serenity, but mostly Serenity. She steps in front of me."

Steve looked at Dr. Harrison. "I want full costody. I want to be their legal guardian. I want to adopt them. They will never be hurt by anyone again." Anger rushed through his veins. The girls had been abused.

Dr. Harrison nodded. "I will contact social services and give approval. But we need to get their physical health examined immediately. I can call a pediatrician and schedule emergency appointments."

"Thank you," Steve said, hugging a still crying Willow close to him.

* * *

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	4. The Pediatrician

**Disclaimer-I don't own this awesome show!**

**This is my first Hawaii Five-0 fic. I have plans for this to be around 10-15 chapters. I hope you enjoy it!**

"Why are you taking us to see another doctor?" Serenity asked.

"This is a different kind of doctor," Steve explained. "Dr. Harrison is a psychiatrist. His job is to make sure you mentally and emotionally are healthy. Now we're going to see Dr. King. His job is to make sure you are physically healthy."

"And what makes you think I'm physically unhealthy?"

Steve sighed, "While I was with your sister talking to Dr. Harrison, she told us you two were abused."

Serenity froze. A moment later, she said, "I don't have to go in by myself, do I?"

"If you want me to be there, I'll be there," Steve promised.

So that's how Steve ended up sitting on a chair in an examination room with Willow on his lap. Serenity was nervously sitting on an examination table.

A doctor in his early forties entered the room and introduced himself as Dr. King.

"The first thing I'm going to do is check your ears. Can you look at the door for me?"

Serenity did as she was asked.

"Good. Now can you look at Steve and Willow?...Perfect. Alright, now I'm going to examine your throat. I need you to open up and say 'ah' for me."

Serenity looked at Steve, her eyes pleading to not have to do this. "You can do it, Serenity," Steve encouraged.

She shook her head stubbornly.

"Willow, I'm gonna go sit with Serenity. Can you sit by yourself for a little bit?" Steve asked.

Willow nodded and got off of Steve's lap. Steve stood up and sat beside Serenity. Willow took Steve's old seat.

"Serenity, we just want to help you. Can you please open your mouth so Dr. King can look at your throat?"

Hesitantly, Serenity opened her mouth.

Dr. King used a light to look at Serenity's throat. "She has signs of smoke inhalation in her throat and on the roof of her mouth." He looked at Serenity's eyes. "Her eyes are slightly red around the edges. Is it possible she was around a fire or an abundance of smoke?"

"In the morning of the day she and her sister came to my house, there was a fire at her parents house when we caught them," Steve said.

"I'd like her to have a blood test done," Dr. King stated. "Then we'll have a complete blood count done to determine if there are enough red blood cells to carry oxygen. Serenity, have you had any trouble breathing?"

Serenity glanced at Steve. He looked sternly back at her and said, "Don't lie, Serenity."

With a sigh, Serenity looked back at Dr. King and answered, "Yes."

"Have you been coughing often?"

"I try to hold them in," Serenity replied.

"Have you had ongoing headaches?"

"They've been on and off."

"You've never told anyone about any of those symptoms?"

Serenity shook her head. "I'm not supposed to."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked. "Why are you not supposed to tell me?"

"I've never been allowed to tell anyone when I don't feel good."

"You can tell me anything," Steve said.

Dr. King nodded. "You have to say something when you don't feel well. Otherwise, there could be more drastic, long-term effects. Now I'm going to listen to your heart and your breathing. I know this is embarrassing for you, but I need you to lift up your shirt just a little bit."

"No," Serenity said, pulling the hem of her shirt down as far as she could.

"It's not going to hurt, honey, I promise," Dr. King said gently.

"But you can't see," Serenity whispered.

"Come on, sweetie," Steve consoled.

Letting tears find their way down her cheeks, Serenity lifted her shirt up, just past her stomach.

Black, purple, and blue marks covered her torso, as well as cuts that were in the process of healing. There were scars mixed in as well.

When she realized Steve and Dr. King had seen her bruised torso, Serenity began sobbing.

"It's okay, Serenity, no one's gonna hurt you ever again," Steve comforted, gently rubbing her back.

Gradually, sobs became cries and cries became whimpers.

"Do these bruises and cuts ever give you any pain?" Dr. King asked.

"The cuts sting sometimes, but they're healing now, so they don't hurt as much anymore," Serenity said.

Dr. King looked at Steve. "You can put Neosporin on her cuts." He looked back at Serenity. "Whenever they start to sting, you have to say they do."

Serenity nodded.

"Now I'm going to listen to your heart and your breathing. I need you to take a deep breath."

The cold metal of the stethescope touched a spot on Serenity's torso that wasn't injured. She took a deep breath, followed by another when Dr. King asked her to.

"Her breathing is a bit raspy, but that's expected with smoke inhalation. There's an office in this building on the third floor that will do a blood test. Before you leave I'll fill out paperwork for a complete blood count. She's also a bit underweight. Just make sure she is properly eating three meals a day. You're all done, Serenity."

Serenity got down from the table and switched seats with Willow.

Steve was surprised when he felt Willow's hand grab his own. He was shocked that the girls both trusted him.

"Okay, Willow, we're going to do the same thing you just saw Serenity do. That means I'm going to start by checking your ears. Can you turn your head to look at the door?" Dr. King asked.

All Willow did was glare back at the doctor. If she turned her head, it meant she wouldn't see Steve at all. In Willow's mind, this meant he couldn't do anything to protect her.

"Willow," Steve warned.

With her scowl still firmly in place, Willow turned to look at the door.

"Good. And now look at Steve."

Willow looked at Steve again, her face telling him how mad she was at him.

"Great. Next I'm going to take a look at your throat."

"No you're not!" Willow exclaimed.

"Willow!" That was officially the strictest Steve had been to one of the girls so far. It sounded like he was scolding Willow.

"I wanna go home," Willow pouted.

"The faster you open your mouth to let Dr. King look, the faster we can go home," Steve said.

"But what if I have to get a blood test like Serenity just 'cause of my throat?"

"It'll be okay, Willow."

Willow sighed and looked at Dr. King. "I'm sorry."

He smiled. "No worries. Are you going to open your mouth?"

Willow nodded and opened her mouth.

"She has the same problem as Serenity. I'd like her to have a blood test as well."

Willow didn't complain the rest of the time because she knew she would just get in trouble if she threw another fit. She was relieved when Dr. King announced that the exam was over.

"Before I fill out the paperwork for their blood tests, we should talk about vaccinations. They both have never received a varicella vaccine, which is to fight against chickenpox. It would also be a good idea for them to each receive an influenza vaccine. Lastly, neither of them has received a tetanus vaccine since infancy. I understand if you decide against the influenza and the varicella, but I strongly recommend the vaccine for tetanus," Dr. King stated.

Steve nodded. "Alright, definitely tetanus. If they receive varicella and influenza vaccines, do they still have chances of getting chickenpox or the flu?"

"About ninety percent of people who have received a varicella vaccine will not get chickenpox. Anywhere from seventy to ninety percent of people who have received an influenza vaccine will not have the flu."

"Then those two also."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Dr. King left.

"What are vaccines?" Willow asked.

Before Steve could respond, Serenity answered, "Shots."

Willow gasped. "Do we have to?"

"Just to be safe," Steve replied.

Willow cuddled into his side. "I don't want shots."

"I know, honey, but wouldn't you rather have a shot than get sick?"

"I guess so," she replied, not so sure.

Dr. King came back with everything he needed to give the vaccinations.

"Alright, Willow, the first thing I'm going to do is clean your shoulder with this," he explained, holding up an alcohol swab. "It'll feel a little bit cold."

Willow watched like a hawk as Dr. King cleaned the spot on her shoulder where she'd get the shots.

"Now we're going to do the first one. All you have to do is relax. You'll feel a little pinch."

"Look at me, Willow," Steve said, taking Willow's attention away from her shoulder.

Willow looked at Steve. He saw her tense when the needle poked through her skin. She began to wriggle.

"Just relax, sweetheart. You won't feel as much pain that way," Dr. King said gently.

Willow slightly calmed down when Dr. King took the needle out.

"One down, two to go. Here comes the next one."

Willow squeezed Steve's hand when the needle went through her skin. "Take it out," she pleaded.

"Almost...there, just one left."

"No more," Willow begged weakly.

"It won't be long."

Willow burried her head in Steve's side when the last shot was given.

"All done, Willow," Dr. King said.

Willow sighed with relief.

Steve lifted Willow off the table. She and Serenity switched seats again.

"Okay, so this is the same thing with Willow. I'm going to clean your shoulder, and it'll feel cold."

Serenity wasn't as scared as her little sister had been, but she was still nervous. She took deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Alright, here goes the first one."

Serenity quickly turned to look at Steve. She closed her eyes when the needle pierced her skin, but otherwise she kept calm.

"And now the second one."

Better prepared this time, Serenity relaxed her arm as much as possible.

"And now for the last one."

Serenity had no problem with the pinch of the needle.

"You girls are all done." Dr. King smiled. "As soon as I fill out the paperwork, you can take them to get blood tests."

Steve nodded, noticing the scared looks on the girls' faces at the mentioning of the blood tests. How was this going to happen?

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	5. The Blood Tests

**Disclaimer-I don't own this awesome show!**

**This is my first Hawaii Five-0 fic. I have plans for this to be around 10-15 chapters. I hope you enjoy it!**

Steve sat with Serenity and Willow on either side of him in a waiting room again. That was the third time today, the first being at Dr. Harrison's office, then Dr. King's office, and now to get blood tests.

A nurse came into the waiting room. She smiled and said, "You can come back here."

Serenity and Willow both stood up, relieved the nurse didn't say Steve couldn't come with them. Steve stood up as well.

"Steve?" the nurse asked.

"Lauren?"

"I haven't seen you for so long! I hear the reason Catherine was so excited when she left my birthday party was she was going to see you."

Steve smiled. "If she heard you right now, she'd-"

"Flip you upside down! You can't keep a secret, Lauren!"

Catherine stepped into the waiting room.

"Catherine?" Steve asked.

"Apparently, it's Bring-Your-Daughter-to-Work Day, but Lauren told me it was Bring-Your-Sister-to-Work-Day," Catherine explained.

Lauren laughed. "I don't have a daughter and I didn't want to be lonely, so I tricked my ever-so-gullible little sister into coming with me."

Catherine noticed Steve trying not to laugh. "Shut it, Steve!" She turned her attention to Willow and Serenity and smiled. "I didn't realize I'd get to see you two early! How'd it go this morning?"

Willow sighed guiltily. "I was bad."

Catherine looked shocked. "You couldn't have been bad, Willow."

"I didn't mean to be. Steve had to tell me to stop 'cause I yelled at Dr. King."

With confusion, Catherine asked, "Dr. King? I thought you were going to see Dr. Harrison."

"We did, and then we went to a pediatrician," Steve said.

"I had to get three shots," Willow said sadly.

"Oh, no!" Catherine gasped, crouching down in front of the little girl.

"But it's okay. Steve held my hand the whole time," Willow explained.

"Aw, Steve's so nice, isn't he?" Catherine asked, glancing at Steve to find him uncomfortably standing there.

Willow nodded. "Yeah, I don't know why everyone thinks he's so tough, 'cause he was really nice to me and Serenity today."

Catherine laughed. "Steve's a big softie."

Steve glared at her. "I didn't think I came here to be insulted."

"That's right. Unfortunately, we have blood tests to do," Lauren said.

"Serenity can go first," Willow quickly declared.

Serenity sighed. "Fine."

"You and Steve can come back here," Lauren said, bringing them to a small room. "You can sit right here, Serenity."

Serenity sat down, laying her arm on the special arm rest for drawing blood. With her other hand, she held Steve's hand.

"This band is going to wrap around your arm, just above your elbow. It's going to help me find a vein. You'll feel it hug your arm, but it won't hurt you. Are you ready?" Lauren asked.

Serenity nodded, and soon felt a squeeze on her arm where the tourniquet wrapped around it. She looked at Lauren who was preparing a needle.

"We need four tubes of blood. All you'll feel is a little pinch when the needle touches you. If you don't like the sight of blood, you probably shouldn't look," Lauren warned.

Serenity shut her eyes quickly and squeezed Steve's hand. She felt the needle pierce her skin and relaxed her arm as much as possible.

"We're almost done here," Lauren announced. "There we go, that's four tubes. Good job, Serenity."

Lauren put a folded piece of gauze over the spot where she removed the needle from. Then she put a clear piece of medical tape over it. "You're all done."

Serenity opened her eyes and stood up. Lauren led her and Steve back out to the waiting room where Willow was telling Catherine everything that happened earlier that day.

When Willow realized it was her turn, she attempted to protest. "Not another needle, please!"

It took a few moments, but Steve was able to get Willow to go to the small room.

"How about you sit with Steve, Willow? Will you feel better?" Lauren asked, getting everything ready.

Willow nodded.

Steve sat down and lifted Willow onto his lap. She wanted to tell him, "Daddy, I'm scared," but she had no idea if he wanted to be called "Daddy" or not.

When Lauren said it was time to start, Willow whimpered.

"Daddy, I'm scared," she said. Willow didn't realize until after she said it that she had in fact called Steve "Daddy."

Steve didn't know if he had actually heard what he thought he heard. Did the little seven-year-old sitting in his lap really just call him "Daddy?" She must have because Lauren beamed at him.

"I'm sorry, it just came out!" Willow exclaimed.

"No, don't be sorry, Willow," Steve said. Then he smiled. "You can call me Daddy whenever you want."

Willow leaned her head back against Steve's chest. "I'm scared, Daddy."

"I know, honey, but it won't take long."

Willow flinched when she felt the needle go into her arm. That was four needles in one day.

"It's over, Willow," she heard Steve say.

* * *

Catherine had gone home with Steve and the girls. She noticed that Steve was smiling the whole drive home.

"Why are you so happy?" she asked. "You had to see my sister today."

He laughed. "Are you still mad at her?"

"She wasn't supposed to tell you I was excited to come see you! But really, you came out with Willow and you both were happy. What's so happy about a needle?"

"He's happy 'cause I called him Daddy," Willow explained.

Catherine grinned. "Yeah, Steve's a good Daddy."

"Yup!" Willow exclaimed.

Steve pulled into the driveway, shaking his head. "Why do you guys talk about me like I'm a softie?"

"Because you are," Catherine said. "You're a SEAL on the outside, but you're a softie on the inside."

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	6. The Proposal

**Disclaimer-I don't own this show!**

"Why does Serenity get to stay up later than me?" Willow asked, pouting as she climbed into her bed.

"When you're twelve like Serenity is, you can stay up later, too," Steve said, pulling the blanket and sheet over Willow.

"When will I be twelve?"

"Five years."

Willow sighed and sadly said, "Five years. A whole hand."

Steve smiled. "You had a long day, Willow. You need some sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight, Daddy."

"Goodnight, honey."

Meanwhile, Serenity and Catherine were watching a movie in the living room. Neither of them were paying much attention to it.

"So I hear you had a busy day," Catherine commented.

Serenity nodded. "Yeah."

"Being in medical offices all day must be a terrible way to spend a Saturday."

Serenity shrugged. "It's like school. You don't wanna be there, but you have to be."

"And why don't you wanna be at school?"

"I don't know."

Catherine didn't say anything else. She could tell Serenity didn't want to talk to her.

A minute had passed by of awkward silence when Steve came into the living room. "I know I said you could stay up later than your sister, Serenity, but only half an hour more. You need to sleep."

Serenity nodded. "Okay."

"Before you go to sleep, I need to talk to you about school," Steve said, turning the TV off and sitting in front of Serenity.

"What about it?"

"Are kids giving you problems?"

Serenity sighed. "It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal. I don't want you being-look at me, Serenity-I don't want you being bullied because you didn't tell anyone what was going on."

"I'm not being bullied!" Serenity exclaimed, rising to her feet. "And even if I was, I can handle things on my own!"

"Serenity, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

Serenity looked down at her feet. "Okay, so maybe I'm not being completely honest."

"What aren't you being honest about?"

"People are mean to me at school."

"Give me their names," Steve said, his expression serious.

"Steve!" Catherine exclaimed. "You can't go all Navy SEAL on a bunch of seventh graders!"

Steve sighed. "How about I talk to a counselor at your school? Maybe we could get the problem straightened out."

Serenity nodded. "Alright."

"Good. Now how about you get some sleep now?"

"Yeah, I'm tired."

Soon Serenity was underneath the blanket on her bed.

Steve stood beside the bed, remembering something Dr. Harrison had told him to say before Serenity went to sleep. "Serenity, if you have any nightmares tonight, don't be afraid to come get me. You can come to me for help with anything, okay?"

Serenity hesitated to respond. A moment passed before she said, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. I don't say anything if I'm unsure about it."

Serenity nodded. "Okay, if I can't sleep, I'll come get you."

With a smile, Steve said, "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Goodnight, Steve."

* * *

"Serenity doesn't like me," Catherine said to Steve. She was cuddled up next to him on the couch.

"Willow loves you," Steve pointed out.

"Don't change the subject, Steve. I know she doesn't like me."

"It's not that she doesn't like you, it's just..."

"It's just that she doesn't like me," Catherine finished.

Steve sighed. "She doesn't like that you act like a mother."

"Am I bad at being a mother or something?" From the sound of Catherine's voice, it sounded like she was near tears. "I wanna be a mom, Steve. I love those girls."

Steve had no idea what to say.

"What do you think?"

The question took Steve off guard. "What do you mean, what do I think?"

"You know...do you agree with Serenity?"

"No, but I see where she's coming from. You should be around here more often. And that's why I'm doing this."

Before Catherine could realize what was going on, Steve was down on one knee in front of her on the couch. He pulled a small box out of his pocket.

"Catherine Rollins, will you marry me?" Steve opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.

Catherine was speechless. She had believed no one would ever ask her to marry them. She was tough and not very girly. But there Steve was, on one knee, ring in hand, proposing.

And waiting for an answer.

"Oh my gosh...yes, Steve."

He slipped the ring into her finger and kissed her passionately.

When their lips broke apart, Steve said, "I love you."

"I love you more."

"That's not possible."

Catherine smiled. "We need to get married soon."

Steve grinned. "A bit anxious to be Mrs. McGarrett?"

Catherine felt her cheeks go red. "Yes, that and the fact that I'll be around more for Serenity."

"You tell me when."

Then a voice came from the hallway. "Steve?"

Footsteps made their way into the room. Serenity was soon standing beside the couch.

"I can't sleep."

"Come here, honey," Steve said.

Serenity sat on the couch beside Steve. He pulled her against him.

"I had a nightmare," Serenity said quietly.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Serenity shook her head.

"Are you sure? Sometimes it helps to talk about nightmares," Catherine said.

"I said I don't wanna talk about it!" Serenity snapped.

"Serenity!" Steve warned. "Watch your tone."

"I don't care! She doesn't know what's best for me."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, Serenity," Catherine apologized.

Serenity glared at her. "Maybe next time you'll know better than to bring something up that I _don't wanna talk about_. Don't try to act like you know what you're talking about! You're only around Willow and me an hour each day! I hate it when you try to act like a mother! I hate when you try to talk to me. _I hate you, bitch_!"

Serenity stopped her rant when she felt a hand spank her bottom. Instinctively, she covered her hands over where her bottom stung. "Hey!" she exclaimed, angrily looking at Steve. "What was that for?"

"You know perfectly well what that was for. Apologize right now."

Stubbornly, Serenity crossed her arms and looked at Catherine. "Sorry."

"Go back to your room. I'll be there soon," Steve said.

Serenity turned away, going back to her room.

Once Serenity was out of ear shot, Catherine exclaimed, "Why would you do that, Steve?"

"Do what?"

"You know what you did! She didn't do anything to deserve that."

"She was direspectful," Steve stated. "There was a lesson that needed to be learned."

Catherine shook her head. "So if she did something you deemed worse, you would spank her? What, are you training her to be in the navy or something?"

"I'm not gonna let her be disrespectful toward you."

Catherine sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, I just didn't like seeing that."

"Should I not have done it?"

"No, you were right. Let's not think about it. There's an emotion-crazed pre-teen that needs to be checked on."

Steve nodded and took Catherine's hand in his own. They walked to Serenity's room. Before going in, Catherine looked at the beautiful ring on her finger. How would the girls react?

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	7. The Removal from School

**Disclaimer-I don't own this show!**

Before Steve or Catherine could say anything, Serenity said, "I'm sorry, Catherine."

Catherine sat beside Serenity on the bed. "I'm sorry, too. I don't mean to act like a mom around you and your sister."

"I should appreciate that you do. I shouldn't have called you a bitch."

"And we'll watch our language in the future, won't we?" Steve asked sternly.

Serenity nodded.

Steve made his voice gentler the next time he spoke. "Do you want to stay with me instead of dealing with the nightmares?"

"It's okay. You guys probably wanna be alone."

Catherine shook her head. "Besides, there's something we have to tell you."

Serenity sat up. "What happened?"

"Nothing's wrong, Serenity, don't worry. Actually, Steve just proposed to me, and I accepted."

Catherine had expected Serenity to either be happy or upset, but all Serenity did was sit there with no expression on her face.

"Isn't that good, Serenity?" Steve asked.

Slowly, Serenity nodded. "Yeah, that's...that's great. Just...excuse me." She stood up and practically ran out of the room.

After sharing a glance with Steve, Catherine stood up. "I'll be right back."

Catherine stepped out into the hallway, looking in both directions. She spotted a source of light at the end of the hallway, just peeking out from underneath the door. Catherine walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Serenity? Can I come in?"

"Sure."

Catherine came in and closed the door behind her. "We need to talk, sweetie."

Serenity stood in front of the mirror, looking at her eyes that were filled with tears.

"There's nothing to talk about. And don't 'sweetie' me."

Catherine sighed. "Serenity, I know you don't like me. You don't have to lie and say you do. But I also know that you not liking my mothering when I'm not around a lot isn't the only reason you don't like me because if it were, you would be happy Steve and I were getting married. So I'm asking you to please tell me the whole reason. What did I do wrong, because I honestly want to know."

Serenity quickly wiped her eyes. "It's not worth talking about. It's stupid, really. If I tell you, you'll think it's dumb."

"I promise you I won't think it's dumb."

Serenity sighed. "It's a long story, so be prepared. I'm in seventh grade now, and girls are starting to have boyfriends. This year, it's like all the girls have changed. They all wear make-up and clothes that are too tight and revealing. The boys love that."

"I'll help you with whatever you need, but I don't understand how this relates to the problem," Catherine said.

"Well, you're pretty. No, it's beyond that-you're beautiful. Remember that night you, me, Steve, and Willow all went out to eat?"

Catherine nodded.

"That night, almost every male in that restaurant looked at you some point in the evening. It reminded me a lot of the situation at school, and how everyone's mean to me just because I don't dress like them or wear any make-up. I know it's a pathetic reason to not like you, but school is hell. Anything that reminds me of it I automatically can't stand."

Catherine didn't say anything for a while. "I'm sorry, Serenity. I had no idea-"

"No, you couldn't have had any idea. It's not your fault."

"Steve better go talk to the guidance counselor at your school soon. If not, than I will, and it won't be pretty."

* * *

Steve sat in Mrs. Lewis' office. She was the guidance counselor at Serenity's school. Even after only knowing her for just a minute, Steve was unsure about what guidance she actually gave.

"If there was a big problem going on here, Serenity would have come down to speak with me about it," Mrs. Lewis said with annoyance in her voice. "I know everything that goes on at this school, and bullying is not one of those things."

"Serenity isn't the kind of person who would make up something like that. I practically had to drag her out the door to go to school this morning," Steve explained.

Mrs. Lewis shrugged. "It's Monday morning. I'm sure most parents had to drag their children out the door."

Steve shook his head. "This is different. I can tell that she's going through hell at school."

"Fine, then. Let's call her down here."

Mrs. Lewis picked up the phone in her office and dialed an extension for one of the classrooms. "Mrs. Chen, could you send Serenity down to my office?"

She hung up after hearing Mrs. Chen's answer.

There was an awkward silence in the room as they waited for Serenity to get there. When she did, she took a seat next to Steve.

"What problems are you having, Serenity?" Mrs. Lewis asked.

"People are mean to me. They call me names and tease me."

"And you understand that these are just childhood games?"

"Excuse me?" Steve asked. "Are you making an excuse for them? Are you saying it's okay for them to treat Serenity this way?"

"I'm merely saying-"

"No, you're done saying things. I want something done about this."

"I'm merely telling you how we do things in this school."

"Then maybe I don't want Serenity to go to _this school_," Steve announced. "I don't want Willow going here, either. I'm taking them out of the school system right now."

A shocked-looking Mrs. Lewis was speechless. "Well, then...if that's what you wish."

* * *

"I don't have to go to school anymore?" Willow asked with her hopes high.

"Yes, you do, but you're going to a new school," Steve explained.

"Oh." Willow sighed, clearly disappointed that she had to still go to school.

It was Tuesday, the day after Steve had gone to talk to Mrs. Lewis. It was early in the morning. Steve had brought the girls to work with him. He didn't want to, but Mary hadn't come home the previous night, so he had no other options.

"Where are we gonna go?" Serenity questioned.

Steve sighed. "I'm not sure."

Serenity nodded.

Danny walked in a moment later. "No school today?"

"I took them out of school."

"What is it with you and dumb decisions?" Danny threw his hands up in the air. "I've only been here for five seconds and you're already doing stupid things!"

Steve shrugged. "It's not stupid. That guidance counselor wasn't going to do anything about Serenity being bullied and I took the girls out of school."

"So what are you going to do?" Danny asked.

Steve was about to say he didn't know yet when he had an idea. "Grace doesn't go to a public school in Honolulu, right?"

"No, she goes to a private school. Rachel does everything she can to show off money. Wait, you're not seriously considering sending them there, are you?"

* * *

Willow, Serenity, and Steve walked into the private school Grace attended. The secretary looked up and smiled. "Hi, can I help you?"

"I'm looking for enrollment information," Steve said.

The secretary nodded, whose nameplate read _Mrs. C. Lee_, stood up. "I'll be right back."

Willow stayed close to Steve's side. It was a big building and a new environment, and she didn't feel safe without him.

Serenity looked around at the office. On one wall, the school's logo was framed. It read _'Uhane Elementary School _with silhouettes of children hand-in-hand pictured below it.

Mrs. Lee was back with a few other people. A man stepped forward and extended his hand to Steve. "Hello, I'm Mr. Wang, prinipal of 'Uhane Elementary School."

Steve shook his hand. "I'm Steve McGarrett."

"I understand you're here for enrollment information. Please, come with me."

Steve and the girls followed Mr. Wang into his office. The people who had came out with him followed them.

"Take a seat."

Serenity and Willow sat on either side of Steve, while the other people scattered around the table.

Mr. Wang began to speak. "Mr. McGarrett, this is Mrs. Martinez, head of the admissions department, and Mr. Sai, the school guidance counselor." He then looked at the girls with a smile. "And what are your names?"

"I'm Serenity," Serenity said as Willow proclaimed, "I'm Willow."

"Here's how we will do this. First, you'll talk to Mrs. Martinez, and if you decide on sending Serenity and Willow here, you'll then talk to Mr. Sai."

Mrs. Martinez, a kind woman in her fifties, convinced Steve that this was a good school for the girls.

Mr. Sai was a much better guidance counselor than Mrs. Lewis had been. He had been given the main ideas of the girls' story so he could understand what was wrong if one of them was to have a problem with their past lives.

And it was settled. On Wednesday, Willow and Serenity would start attending 'Uhane Elementary School. What was the problem? Oh, yeah-Wednesday. That was the next day.

**Thank you for reading and please review!**


	8. The Best Christmas Ever

**Disclaimer-I (unfortunately) do not own this show.**

**There are pictures on my profile for this story!**

Steve was sleeping when Willow came running into his room. "It's Christmas! Wake up, Daddy!"

"What time is it?" Steve asked, feeling that it was way too early to wake up on a day he didn't have to work on.

Willow shrugged. "I don't know. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Willow."

"It's time to open presents!"

Steve sat up. "Alright, honey, go get your sister."

With a grin on her face, Willow ran to her sister's room. "Serenity, wake up!"

Soon Willow pulled a still tired Serenity out of her room.

"Merry Christmas, Serenity."

"Merry Christmas, Steve."

"Is Catherine coming?" Willow asked, her voice full of energy.

"She should be here in a few minutes," Steve said, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"So we have to wait?"

"Just for a few minutes."

The girls sat at the top of the stairs. Willow was the more impatient of the two, constantly looking at the clock. Mary soon woke up and wished everyone a merry Christmas. She waited with the girls, making sure Willow didn't make a break for the living room to see her presents.

"Is she here yet?" Willow kept asking.

"I think she just pulled in," Steve announced, going downstairs to open the door.

"She's here!" Willow exclaimed.

"Merry Christmas!" the girls heard Catherine say to Steve and the sound of a kiss.

Willow made a disgusting face. "Ew. Just 'cause we can't see it doesn't mean we don't hear it!"

Catherine and Steve soon came upstairs.

"Merry Christmas, girls!" Catherine hugged them both.

"Merry Christmas!" they said in unison.

"Are you guys ready to open presents?"

"Yes! Come on, Serenity!" Willow took her sister's hand.

The girls went into the living room where the presents were.

"Santa brought so much!" Willow said, sitting in front of her gifts.

Serenity remained standing in the back of the room with Catherine and Steve. "How much did you spend?" she whispered.

"It doesn't matter. Just go see what you got," Steve responded.

Serenity shook her head. "It does matter. We're not legally your daughters."

"You're right, not legally. But do you think I care about that?"

Serenity sighed. "No."

"You'll be my daughters officially very soon, and I love you both like I am your father already."

Serenity looked up at him. "Really?"

Steve nodded. "Really."

Serenity unexpectedly threw her arms around Steve. "This is the best Christmas ever."

"Look at what Santa gave me, Daddy!" Willow exclaimed.

Steve smiled. "Are you happy with what he brought?"

Williw nodded. "Yup! Serenity, come look at your stuff!"

"Go ahead, sweetheart," Steve encouraged. "You deserve all of it."

* * *

A timer beeped. Mary headed into the kitchen. "My cookies are ready."

"Let's go put your dress on, Willow," Catherine said. "You should go get changed, too, Serenity."

Willow went in her room with Catherine behind her. "Where's the dress, sweetie?"

"In my closet," Willow stated.

Catherine took the dress off of the hanger and laid it out on the bed. "You get changed and I'll go get your shoes."

Willow quickly changed into her dress and Catherine came back with a shoebox in her hands.

"You look so pretty, Willow," Catherine declared as she pulled back a little bit of Willow's hair into a small pony tail, leaving the rest of it laying around her shoulders.

"Is it time to go to Uncle Danny's?"

"We're gonna leave in five minutes," Catherine said.

It wasn't long until everyone was ready. Mary had her cookies covered with tin foil on a dish and Steve had brought all the presents to his truck.

* * *

Much to Danny's annoyance, Steve said "Merry Christmas" in Hawaiin just for the purpose of pissing Danny off. Ever since he found at about what had happened between Mary and Danny, Steve did everything he could to annoy Danny.

It wasn't long before the three girls were sitting on the floor, waiting to open presents.

"Okay, girls, these are from me," Kono said, handing out her gifts to each of the girls.

"And these are from me," Chin stated.

Mary passed out her presents as well, followed by Danny, Catherine, and Steve.

After dinner, everyone was sitting in front of the TV, watching a Christmas movie. That was when Mary ran to the bathroom as fast as she could, saying she felt sick.

When she came back, all eyes were on her. She shook her head. "I'm fine, just a little upset stomach, that's all."

But Mary had an idea of what was going on in the back of her mind. She looked at Danny who made eye contact with her, thinking the same thing.

Then Mary glanced at Steve who seemed to have made the connection, too, and was glaring at Danny.

"I mean, it can't be, right?" Mary said.

Danny shook his head. "No, it can't be."

Mary put a hand on her stomach. "I think it is, Danny. I really think it is."

By now, Kono, Chin, Catherine, and Serenity had caught on.

Danny took Mary's hand and walked outside. "Are you happy about this."

Mary smiled. "Very happy. This is the best Christmas ever."

They shared a kiss under the moonlight.

* * *

**Remember: pics on my profile and please review!**


	9. The News

**Disclaimer-I don't own it.**

**A/N: Sorry for the confusion in the last chapter! I just realized that I never explained what happened between Mary and Danny in any previous chapters. I had multiple drafts of the previous chapter, and in one of them explained everything about Mary and Danny. I forgot that draft was not the final chapter and I wrote the rest of the chapter as if it I already explained everything. In this chapter, you will learn what happened between Mary and Danny. Sorry again for any confusion!**

**Also, I only received four reviews for the last chapter, and there were 214 hits and 179 visitors. Please review-don't make me lose my encouragement!**

**Thank you to those who did review this story at all and anyone who has favorited, subscribed, or even just read this story.**

**I hope you like this chapter!**

Danny came to Steve's house the next day to talk about what happened between him and Mary. They went out on the porch, out of earshot of Serenity and Willow.

"How did you know what happened between us?" Danny asked Steve.

"Mary didn't come home for a few days about two weeks ago. When she did come home, she told me what happened," Steve explained.

"And let me guess-you're not at all happy that I did it with your sister?"

Steve glared at him. "If she wasn't pregnant and needed your help raising the kid, and if you didn't have Grace, I would most likely kill you."

Danny nodded, believing every word Steve said. "So it's safe for me to say this isn't going to be an easy nine months?"

"Yes." Steve's glare was still in place.

At that moment Mary walked out on the porch. "Danny, I think you should see something."

Danny stood up and followed Mary into the house. Steve remained seated on the porch steps.

A few minutes had passed when Serenity sat beside him.

"You know I understand what's happening between Mary and Danny," she said. "I'm twelve and I've been in health classes at school." She didn't speak for a moment. "I think I know what you think of everything. But Mary's not the little girl you think she still is."

"I know she's grown up," Steve said.

"Yeah, you may know that in your mind, but can you honestly say you don't still see her as your little sister? Can you really say you don't see her as someone Willow's age?"

Steve sighed. "You're right." He wrapped an arm around Serenity, pulling her close to him. "You have to promise me, though, that you'll never date until you're thirty, okay?"

"I don't know about that."

"Fine, then, go ahead and date before that. But I can't promise I won't kill him before I even get to know him."

Serenity laughed. "Why does it matter, though?"

"Because you and Willow are my little girls, and I don't want you to grow up."

"So does that mean I can't go to a dance at school on Friday?"

"Will there be teachers there?"

Serenity nodded. "Yes."

"I'll think about it."

"Steve!"

He smiled. "Alright, you can go."

Serenity grinned, but then became serious. "Did you mean what you said on Christmas about loving Willow and me like we were really your daughters?"

"Yes," Steve said. "And you are really my daughters."

"Not officially."

"I don't care about whether it's written on a piece of paper or not. And anyway, that'll change soon."

"What do you mean?"

"The adoption is supposed to be official in a week."

Serenity looked up at him. "Are you serious?"

"We can stop it if you want."

"No!" Serenity quickly exclaimed. "I just can't believe that you actually _want_ us to be your daughters."

"Of course I do," Steve stated, gently rubbing Serenity's back.

"Steve?"

"Yes?"

"Is Catherine adopting us, too? Is she going to be our mom?"

Steve sighed. "She wants to be. She loves you girls so much. But she's not sure she's going to adopt you."

"Why not?" Serenity asked, immediately thinking Catherine didn't want them to be her daughters.

"She thinks you don't want her to be your mom."

"Oh."

It was silent for a moment until Serenity said, "I think I want her to be my mom."

"You don't have to say that just to make her happy. Just having a place in your lives makes her happy."

"But I really mean it. I want her to be my mom-to be Willow and my mom. Is it too late?"

Steve shook his head. "No, not at all."

"Steve? I have another question."

"Okay."

"Can I call you 'Dad?'"

Steve smiled. "I would love it if you called me 'Dad.'"

* * *

Back in the house, Mary pulled Danny into her room and closed the door. "You should see this."

She opened her fist to reveal a pregnancy test. "It's positive. We were right. I'm pregnant."

Danny didn't say anything at first. He just continued to stare at the positive sign on the pregnancy test.

"Danny? What's wrong? We were already pretty sure I was pregnant. This is just confirming it."

He shook his head. "Nothing's wrong." Then he smiled. "I can't believe this. You're pregnant. We're having a kid!"

Mary grinned. "This is amazing."

"Have you told Steve that you're definitely pregnant?"

Mary sighed. "No. He's gonna have to deal with it, though."

"Do you think he'd react better if you told him we were getting married?"

"What?"

"I don't have a ring," Danny said, getting down on one knee, "but I'll get one. You can pick it out."

"I can pick out my ring? Is that your way of asking me to marry you?"

"I'll do it formally. Will you marry me?"

"I will." Mary smiled.

And just like that, there were two upcoming weddings.

* * *

"I have to go pick up Grace. Do you wanna come with me?" Danny asked Mary.

She nodded. "Of course."

They walked to Danny's car and drove off to Rachel's over-sized house.

"And we just wait here?" Mary asked, looking at the gate.

Danny nodded. "I could get in-the password is Grace's birthday. But I don't want to give Rachel anything to use against me."

"I take it Rachel's quite a bitch."

"You got that right. Here comes Grace." Danny smiled and got out of the car. "Hey, monkey."

Grace ran into her dad's arms. "I missed you, Daddy."

"I missed you, too, Gracie."

During this time, Mary had gotten out of the car to go see Grace. She smiled. "Hey, Grace."

Grace beamed. "Mary!" She threw herself in Mary's arms next. Grace had met Mary before and knew that Mary was Danny's girlfriend.

"Come on, Grace, Mary and I have something to tell you," Danny said, directing Grace in the direction of the car.

"You're not breaking up, are you?" Grace asked worriedly. She really liked Mary.

"Oh, no, sweetie, not at all," Mary said.

Grace looked puzzled. "So what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong at all, Gracie. Mary and I just needed to tell you that we're getting married."

Grace gasped. "Really?"

Mary nodded with a grin on her face. "Yes."

Grace beamed again. "Oh my gosh!"

"And you want to know something else?"

"What, Daddy?"

"You're gonna be a big sister."

Grace clapped her hands together. She had always wanted to be a big sister, and now it was finally going to happen!

**Thanks for reading! There should be a New Year's chapter posted tomorrow, or even later today if I finish it then. For now, please review!**


	10. The Party

**Disclaimer: _Hawaii Five-0_ belongs to CBS.**

"When are people gonna get here?" Willow asked, inpatient as ever.

Catherine smiled. "In a few minutes, sweetie, don't worry."

Willow sighed and sat on the couch. "I'm sorry, I'm just so excited."

"I know, Willow, it's okay. Everyone will be here soon." Catherine sat beside Willow.

It had been Catherine's idea to throw a New Year's party. It was currently late on New Year's Eve, and a very excited Willow asked when everyone would arrive nearly every two minutes.

"Auntie Kono's here! I see her car, she's here!" Willow exclaimed, opening the front door and running outside.

Catherine sighed, standing up and shaking her head. She smiled when Steve walked in the room.

"She's a little bit excited," Catherine said as Steve put an arm around her.

Steve nodded. "A little bit."

"Come on, Auntie Kono!" Willow pulled Kono inside the house where "Happy New Year"s were exchanged.

There was suddenly a _thud_ that came from the direction of the stairs. All heads turned to that direction.

"I'm okay!" Serenity yelled. She soon came into view, walking into something else. Her eyes were glued to the cell phone Steve had given her for Christmas. She was typing a text message.

"Ow!" Serenity exclaimed as she walked into the edge of a wall.

"You are addicted to that phone," Steve said. "If I had known it was going to injure you, I would have never bought it. Why don't you take a break from texting?"

"No!" Serenity protested when Steve gently pried the phone out of her hands.

"Just take a little break," Steve suggested, closing the phone and putting it on the counter beside Catherine's and his own cell phones. "A little face-to-face talking won't do you any harm."

Serenity sighed. "When can I have it back?"

"Tomorrow."

Serenity didn't bother to argue. Tomorrow was actually just a few hours away.

Willow ran over from her spot at the window. "Uncle Chin's here!" Like when Kono arrived, Willow raced out the door to greet Chin.

About five minutes later, Danny pulled up. "I didn't know we were going to Uncle Steve's house!" Grace exclaimed, getting out of the car immediately. As soon as her daddy and Mary picked her up, she questioned where they were going. It was a good surprise. "Willow!"

"Gracie!"

Even though Grace was a year older than Willow, they were still best friends.

"Come on, there's stuff I got for Christmas in my room," Willow said, leading the way inside the house.

Mary smiled at the sight of the girls and touched her hand to her stomach. She looked at Danny when she felt his hand against her back.

"There's gonna be another kid running around soon," Danny said.

Mary nodded as they started to walk towards the house.

"I know this isn't really a good time to bring this up, but do you notice anything...different...about Grace?" Danny asked.

Mary abruptly stopped walking, turning to look at Danny who had stopped as well. "Yeah. I thought I was just imagining it."

"She seems thinner, like she hasn't eaten enough lately," Danny said.

"And you always make sure she eats," Mary commented. "So does she not eat when she's with Rachel?"

"I don't know, but I'm making sure she eats a lot tonight. I'll save asking her about it for tomorrow."

They soon were in the house. Willow and Grace were upstairs in Willow's room. Serenity was listening to the iPod touch that Steve had also gotten her for Christmas (the girls had really been spoiled on Christmas, but after all, it _was_ their first time getting presents). She was playing a game on an app she had gotten.

"You really can't stay away from electronics," Steve said. "Take a break from _all_ electronics until tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Serenity turned the iPod off and put it beside her cell phone.

The doorbell rang and Catherine went to answer it. She opened it to reveal her sister.

"Hey, Catherine, thanks for inviting me," Lauren said, smiling.

"Of course. Come on in."

Lauren stopped Catherine from walking into the kitchen where Steve, Chin, Danny, Mary, and Kono were talking and laughing.

"Who. Is. That?" Lauren asked in a dramatic way, looking into the kitchen.

Catherine followed her gaze. "That's Chin Ho Kelly. He works for Five-0 with Steve."

Lauren grinned. "Well, I think I just found my New Year's kiss."

Catherine rolled her eyes and followed her sister into the kitchen.

"Hey, guys, this is my sister Lauren," Catherine introduced.

Lauren greeted everyone, saving Chin for last. "Aloha," she said.

"Aloha," he said back, holding onto her hand for a few more seconds.

"Oh, great, now everyone's got someone to kiss," Kono said. "I'm always the odd one out."

She noticed the look Mary and Catherine shared.

"What?" Kono asked.

"Oh, nothing, just...yeah, it's so obvious those two are gonna kiss," Catherine said.

Kono glanced at her with a suspiscious look. "Yeah..."

"I'm right here!" Lauren exclaimed.

Mary and Catherine sighed in relief. Catherine's lie seemed to be accepted.

Wanting to change the topic from awkward to normal, Mary said, "Twenty minutes to go."

When the doorbell rang again, Catherine ran to get it. "I got it!"

"Hey, Ben!" she said, opening the door. "Kono doesn't know. It's a surprise."

Ben nodded. "Thanks for having me."

"Kono's gonna be so excited," Catherine stated, smiling. "Come on."

Ben followed Catherine back to the kitchen where everyone was still talking and laughing. Kono had her back turned to where they were walking.

Mary grinned at Catherine, her face saying _mission accomplished_.

"Kono?" Ben walked to her side.

Kono smiled. "Ben!" She hugged him and then looked at Mary and Catherine. "I _knew_ you were up to something!"

"You're gonna get your kiss in time," Mary announced, looking at the countdown show on the TV. "Twenty-nine seconds!"

Everyone stared at the TV, watching as the numbers dropped. _Fourteen, thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten, nine..._

Serenity, Willow, and Grace came into the room. _Three, two, one..._

"Happy New Year!" everyone yelled.

Steve and Catherine, Danny and Mary, Chin and Lauren, and Kono and Ben kissed. Serenity went to get her iPod and cell phone. Grace and Willow were ready to fall asleep.

No one noticed the face staring into the window...

**I know I said I would have this out much sooner, but I had writer's block!**

**Please review!**


	11. The Car Accident

"Who goes to the beach in February?" Danny asked with an annoyed tone as he sat down beside Mary.

"It's Hawaii, Danny," Mary said. "We go to the beach every month. And besides, Grace obviously likes the beach. Aren't you glad it makes her happy?"

Danny watched as his daughter attempted to surf. Steve was patiently showing her, Willow, and Serenity what to do. Why were they so obsessed with surfing?

But Mary was right. The beach _did_ make Grace happy. That was worth it.

"She still seems underweight," Danny said.

Mary sighed. "We can't just talk about. We have to do something about it."

"Like what? Go to Rachel and say 'Do you feed her?' Then she'll be pissed that I think she doesn't take care of Grace and she'll stick her lawyer on me."

"But that's the thing, Danny. She _doesn't_ take care of Grace. You make sure she eats, so she's not underweight because of something you did. It's Rachel."

"And Rachel thinks it's dangerous for Grace to be around _me_."

"We have to do something, Danny. Otherwise, she'll get sick and we'll regret that we didn't do anything."

"I'll ask her about it today," Danny stated. "Then I'll call my lawyer."

Mary nodded. "She's coming now."

Grace came running up to them with a smile on her face. "Did you see me surfing?"

"You were awesome, Gracie!" Mary exclaimed.

"Will you come with us next time?" Grace asked.

"I would love to, but I don't think the baby would like it," Mary said, touching her stomach.

"Then after you have the baby?"

"Of course."

"And what about you, Daddy?"

"We'll see, Grace." There was no way Danny was going to go surfing, at least not until Kono finished teaching him.

* * *

"Gracie, Mary and I want to talk to you for a minute," Danny said when he, Grace, and Mary entered his apartment.

"Am I in trouble?" Grace aske worriedly.

"Oh, no, of course not, honey!" Mary exclaimed. "We just want to talk to ask you if you've been feeling okay."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you felt sick recently?" Danny asked.

"I'm not supposed to say anything," Grace said, turning around and starting to walk away.

"Grace, come back here. I'm talking to you," Danny said sternly.

Grace turned around and walked back. Danny crouched down in front of her.

"You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" Danny questioned gently.

Nodding, Grace said, "I know."

"So can you tell me if you don't feel good?"

"I feel dizzy," Grace stated.

"Okay, let's sit down."

Danny sat on the couch and Grace followed his example.

"Why do you feel dizzy?"

"Because I'm hungry."

"But we just ate before we came here."

"That's all I've eaten in a little while."

"You don't eat when you're with your mom?"

Grace shook her head. "She doesn't give me anything to eat." She began to cry. "I'm not supposed to say anything!"

Immediately, Danny picked up his little girl and put her in his lap. "It's okay, Gracie. You're not gonna have to worry about that anymore."

Mary covered her face with her hands. "Oh my gosh," she muttered, letting tears of her own escape. She ran into the bathroom and grabbed a tissue. While she wiped away her tears, she thought, _How could anyone do that to a little girl?_

When Mary came out of the bathroom, Danny still had Grace close to him.

Through her cries, Grace said, "Mary, please don't be upset because of me."

Quickly wiping the tears that followed after Grace's sentence, Mary sat beside Danny. She placed a hand on Grace's back and said, "I'm not upset because of you, and I never will be upset because of you, Gracie."

"Are you mad at my mom?" Grace asked, the sound of crying backing up her words.

"We're not very happy that she doesn't give you anything to eat," Danny explained. "So we're going to make sure you always have enough to eat."

"Mom doesn't like me anymore," Grace announced, setting off a new chain of tears.

"Shh, honey, you're okay. Dano loves you."

"I love you, too, Daddy, and I love you, Mary."

Danny smiled at Mary, knowing that what she wanted more than anything was Grace to love her. Mary grinned when she said, "I love you, too, Grace."

"Why don't we get you something to eat before you go to sleep?" Danny lifted Grace onto her feet and stood beside her.

Grace nodded. "Okay."

* * *

"Your honor, what my client is being accused of is very far-fetched," Rachel's lawyer began. He sat beside Rachel and Stan in front of the judge. Opposite him were Danny and Mary with their lawyer. "Mrs. Parker has made her own attempts to gain full custody of her daughter due to her ex-husband having an unsafe job that could put anyone close to him in jeopardy."

"Those attempts were made on incorrect assumptions, your honor," Danny's lawyer stated. "There is significant evidence that Mr. and Mrs. Parker are not providing Grace Williams with the proper food to maintain her health. This being said, it is harmful for the child to be in the care of the Mr. and Mrs. Parker."

"Mr. Williams and Miss McGarrett's attorney, your honor, is making a statement that is completely out of line. Mr. and Mrs. Parker have done nothing of the sort."

"Your honor, if they have done no harm to the young Miss Williams, why is it that she appears unhealthy when she is placed into the custody of Mr. Williams after being with the Parkers?"

Before an ongoing battle could occur, the judge said, "Okay, I understand that you both have reason to believe that you should have full custody of your daughter. This is to be settled in court."

* * *

Serenity, Willow, and Grace sat on the steps at school waiting to be picked up when Stan walked over to them.

"Stan? I thought I was going home with Daddy today," Grace said, confused.

"Uh, change in plans," Stan announced. "We made an agreement. Your friends are coming, too."

The three girls followed Stan to his car. Just as they had all gotten in, Danny pulled up.

"Hey!" Danny yelled, rolling down the window. "It's not your day!"

Stan sped off into the street. Danny followed him, turning the sirens on.

"I knew it," Grace said, fear in her voice.

"It's okay, you couldn't know," Serenity replied.

"This is all my fault."

Serenity shook her head. "Don't say that, Grace. You did nothing wrong."

"Shut up!" Stan hollared. He wasn't paying attention to where he was driving.

"Watch out!" Serenity screamed, pointing straight ahead to woods. She leaned forward to cover the younger girls from what would surely be a crash.

Stan didn't have enough time to avoid it. He drove right into a tree.

Danny jumped out of his car and ran over. He found Serenity and Stan unconscious. Grace was shaking while Willow was sobbing.

"Serenity, wake up!" Willow cried. "Uncle Danny, she won't wake up!"

Danny pulled Grace and Willow out of the damaged car. "She'll be okay," he soothed, unsure of his words.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm calling for help right now." Danny pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. After explaining what happened and where they were, he called Steve.

Willow ran over to Steve and Catherine when she saw them running to the scene. "Daddy, Serenity's hurt!"

EMTs were putting Serenity onto a stretcher. "We have to get her to the hospital quickly!" one yelled.

Steve sprinted over to the ambulance where an EMT said, "Sir, please step away from-"

"She's my daughter!" Steve exclaimed.

"Dad?" Serenity mumbled, her voice weak, but it was there. Her eyes were still shut.

"I'm here," Steve said, touching her shoulder.

"It hurts," Serenity whimpered.

"I know, honey, but you're going to the hospital and you're gonna be all better before you know it."

Soon Serenity was in the ambulance, Steve sitting beside her.

Catherine held Willow close to her as they watched the ambulance drive away.

* * *

_Please reivew! Another chapter should be posted soon!_


	12. The Hospital

"Hi, ma'am, my name is Keana. Your daughter needs to be checked over for any injuries," a nurse in the hospital waiting room said to Catherine.

Catherine nodded. "Let me go with her."

Keana smiled. "Of course. You can follow me right back here."

Willow squeezed Catherine's hand as they walked to an exam room."You can have a seat up here..."

"This is Willow," Catherine said, helping Willow climb onto the table.

"Alright, Willow, the first thing I need you to do is tell me where you're hurting," Keana stated.

"My arms hurts," Willow said, holding up her left arm."Anything else?"

Willow shook her head.

"Can you show me where on your arm you feel the most pain?"The seven-year-old used her good arm to gesture to her left wrist.

"Okay, I'll be right back with Dr. Lin." Keana left after giving Willow a comforting smile.

Catherine noticed Willow was looking upset at something. "What's the matter, Willow?" she asked softly.

"Keana called me your daughter," Willow stated. "I'm your daughter, right? 'Cause you and Daddy adot-adap-adep-"

"We adopted you," Catherine assisted Willow with her words gently.

Willow nodded. "I call Steve Daddy, so should I call you Mom?"

"Only if you want to," Catherine said. "You can still call me Catherine."

Willow whispered something that Catherine wasn't sure she heard right. "I want you to be my mommy."

Catherine couldn't help the grin that came on her face even if she wasn't sure that was what Willow said. "What was that, Willow?"

Willow's eyes were serious. "I want you to be my mommy, so can I call you that?"

"Absolutely," Catherine agreed, her happiness clear.

Keana came back with Dr. Lin. He smiled as he introduced himself, shaking Catherine's hand. "Hello, I'm Dr. Lin. I'm the head of pediatric orthopedics at the hospital."

"Hi, I'm Catherine Rollins," Catherine replied, a matching smile on her face. Dr. Lin seemed like he was a doctor who truly cared about helping the children he treated, so Catherine was glad he would be treating Willow. "This is my daughter Willow."

Dr. Lin turned to Willow. "Hi, Willow, I'm Dr. Lin. I'm gonna fix that arm of yours. How's that sound?"

"Good," Willow answered, nodding.

"I'm going to check your arm and whenever you feel any pain, tell me and I'll stop immediately, okay?"

"Okay."

As soon as Willow let out a whimper of pain, Dr. Lin stopped examining her arm. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm all done." He turned to Catherine. "She's going to need x-rays of her arm taken. I believe her wrist is broken, but I'll need to see x-rays to confirm that. You can follow me to the x-ray room."

* * *

"Come on, Gracie, let the doctor look at your cut," Danny encouraged, hoping to get Grace to move her hands away from her cheek where a large cut had formed. They were sitting in another exam room in the hospital.

"It won't take long, I promise," Dr. Carter assured the eight-year-old.

"But you're gonna stitch it! I don't like needles," Grace proclaimed, not removing her hands.

Dr. Carter had been in this situation more times in a week than she could count. She treated scared children on a daily basis. "I know that needles are no fun, but having your cut become infected is even worse. So how about I give you something that will make you not feel anything? That's a quick needle."

Grace sighed. "I guess so."

Dr. Carter smiled. "Now can you move your hands for me? Good girl."

* * *

"She'll be sore for a few days, but she's going to be fine," a doctor reassured Steve. "She should be waking up shortly."

Steve sighed in relief, thanking him.

The doctor nodded with a smile before walking away.

"Steve!" Catherine exclaimed, walking into the room with Willow just in time to see the doctor leave. "Is everything going to be okay?"

Steve nodded. "Yes, she's supposed wake up soon."

Catherine felt relief spread through her while Willow just beamed.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Steve asked, crouching down in front of his youngest daughter.

"My wrist is broken," Willow explained, lifting her left arm to show Steve her sky blue cast. "I got to pick the color I wanted and Dr. Lin said all my friends can sign my cast!"

Steve smiled. "That's so cool. And everything else feels fine?"

Willow nodded. "Yup. Look, they even gave me a sticker!" She held up a sticker with a cartoon on it from a kids' show that she watched.

"Is this from someone's favorite show?"

Grinning, Willow exclaimed, "It's from _my_ favorite show!"

"How's Serenity?" Danny questioned as he and Grace joined Steve, Catherine, and Willow. Grace had gauze taped over her cheek where she had gotten stitches.

"She's gonna be okay!" Willow announced with excitement, beaming.

Catherine placed her hand on Grace's shoulder. "What happened to you, Gracie?"

"I had to get stitches," Grace explained.

"And she wasn't very happy about it," Danny added.

Grace shook her head. "I didn't let Dr. Carter look at it at first."

Nodding in understanding, Catherine inquired, "But now it feels better, right?"

Grace smiled. "Yeah!"

"Catherine!" a voice called.

Catherine turned around to find her sister, Chin, Kono, and Ben coming over to them.

"What happened?" Lauren asked worriedly.

"The girls were in a car accident," Catherine said, giving Lauren a look that said _tell you later_. "We're just waiting for Serenity to wake up."

The group sat down in the waiting room. Kono and Ben had joined them after a few minutes.

About a half an hour later, the doctor stepped into the waiting room. "Commander McGarrett?"

Steve walked over to hear news on Serenity.

"Serenity's awake," the doctor said. "It would be best if she stayed overnight so we can monitor her condition. It might even be best for her to stay another night."

"If you discharge her after one night, I can keep an eye on her. I'm a nurse in a hematology office. If there's anything to be concerned about, I'll know to bring her in immediately," Lauren declared.

The doctor nodded. "Okay."

"Lauren, you don't have to do that," Catherine said to her older sister.

"No, I'd be happy to-she's my niece, after all."

"You can go see your daughter now," the doctor told Steve and Catherine.

Hand in hand, Steve and Catherine almost ran to Serenity's room.

"Serenity!" Catherine exclaimed, rushing to the side of the bed. "Oh, sweetie, we were so worried."

"I'm okay, just a little sore, but the doctor said I have to stay overnight just to make sure nothing's wrong," Serenity said. "How's everyone else?"

"Everyone's fine," Steve assured her. "There are a lot of people who want to see you. Are you up for visitors?"

Serenity eagerly nodded, making Steve and Catherine smile.

"I'll be right back," Catherine stated, leaving to get everyone in the waiting room.

"I don't want to stay here tonight," Serenity complained.

"The doctor just wants to make sure you're all better before you leave," Steve explained.

"I don't wanna stay here alone."

"I'm pretty sure the hospital allows a parent to stay. I'll ask your doctor next time he comes to check on you, okay?"

Serenity nodded. "Okay."

Willow came into the room. "Serenity! I knew you'd be okay, I knew it!"

For the next hour, Serenity's room was flooded with people until the hospital visiting hours were over.

"Alright, honey, I'm taking your sister home, but your dad's gonna stay with you tonight," Catherine said. "I'll be here as soon as they let visitors come tomorrow morning."

* * *

"She might be too tired to walk," Keana said. "I can get a wheelchair for her if you'd like."

"That's okay, thank you, I can carry her," Steve replied, lifting Serenity.

"I met Willow when she was being treated for her arm. How is she doing?" Keana wondered.

"She's doing good, thank you," Steve answered.

"That's great," Keana stated as she led the way to the hospital lobby where Catherine, Willow, and Lauren were waiting.

"You'll be watching Serenity to make sure she's alright?" Keana asked.

Lauren nodded. "At any sign of concern, I'll be sure she's okay, and at any greater sign of problems, I'll bring her to be checked by her doctor."

Keana smiled. "I hope you feel better soon, Serenity."

"Thank you."

**This is kind of a filler chapter, but it's needed to continue with the story. Please review!**


	13. The Dresses

"Coming!" Catherine yelled when she heard a knock on her apartment door. It was late-who would be there at this time? She opened the door to find Mary standing there.

"Hey," Mary said. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay. Come in."

Catherine closed the door. "You want something to drink?"

Mary shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks."

"So what's up?"

"I need some advice, and since you're a mom, well, I thought you could help me."

"Of course."

"Okay. Hold on a minute, though. I hope you don't mind me asking, but is everything okay with you and my brother?"

Catherine looked confused. "Yes, why?"

"You adopted two kids with him, but you don't live with him."

"We wanted to wait until we get married. You know, the two kids living in the house, and then an unmarried couple? It didn't seem right."

Mary smiled. "I totally respect that. At least you're there all day, because I can only handle so much Steve."

Catherine laughed. "Living at home again isn't everything you wanted it to be?"

"When I first came back from LA, I was staying there, and then I got my own place. Of course, as soon as Steve sees that my place was broken into, he makes me move back home. He doesn't understand that I'm not a little girl anymore." Mary paused before saying, "But I need to ask you something important."

"Okay." Catherine nodded.

"Danny and I have been talking about me legally becoming Grace's mother. With Stan dying in the accident and Rachel arrested on neglect charges, he has full custody. He says I love her more than Rachel ever did. I don't think I should adopt Grace-I mean, I definitely want to, but..."

"But what?"

"I'm not exactly an ideal mother. What should I do?"

Catherine gave her a knowing smile. "Trust me, I know what you mean. I'm not exactly an ideal mother, either. It doesn't matter if you legally become her mother because you love her. Being a mother on paper and being a mother by love are two totally different things."

"Yeah, but I don't think I like the whole step-mom thing. She's had a step parent before, and he was a jerk. I don't want her to think of me like that."

"You have to do whatever feels best. You have reasons for not becoming her mother and reasons for not becoming her step-mother. If you become her step-mother, she won't think you're a jerk. You clearly love her, and she sees that."

"How do I know if it's right for me to adopt her? How did you know it was right for you to adopt Serenity and Willow?"

"When I started to do things for them that a mom would do out of love for her kids, like I took a desk job in the Navy so I could see the girls everyday, I'm at the house before they wake up so I can see them before they go to school, I say goodnight to them before they go to sleep...when you find yourself doing things like that, you know you're meant to be a mom."

Mary was silent for a moment. Then she said, "I have a feeling when I'm around her, like responsibility, like I'm making sure she's okay. I think I want to legally become her mom."

Catherine grinned. "I had a feeling. The way you talk about Grace, how whenever you speak of her you always smile and your voice is so full of love, it makes sense."

"So this is what it feels like to start a family," Mary said, placing a hand on her stomach.

"It's an amazing feeling."

"Have you chose a date yet?" Mary asked Catherine.

"We don't have a definite date, but we'd like to get married sometime in July," Catherine replied, looking down at her ring. Every time she looked at it, she felt amazed and happy that she was engaged to Steve and they had two daughters. "What about you?"

"I want it to be after I have the baby. I want him to see his parents get married." Mary looked down at her own ring.

"Him?" Catherine inquired.

Mary smiled. "Danny came with me to the doctor yesterday. We decided we wanted to know the baby's gender. It's a boy."

"Three girls in the family and now the first boy!" Catherine exclaimed.

"I want a job by the time he's born."

Confused, Catherine said, "You have a job."

Mary shook her head. "Serving food at a restaurant on the beach is not exactly my preferred career choice. I went to college-Steve made sure of that. I have a degree in criminal justice. I wanted to become a probation officer." She trailed off.

"It's not too late to turn everything around," Catherine stated. "You're obviously committed to this."

"It would have to be after the baby is born. There's a test of physical health and I definitely will not pass that while I'm pregnant. But I'm gonna look over my stuff from college. That way, even if I can't become a probation officer until the baby comes, I'm at least making an effort." Mary didn't say anything else before changing the subject. "So we need to pick out dresses."

"Steve's wearing his uniform, why can't I just wear mine?"

"Catherine, are you insane? One of the main reasons women get married is so they can wear a beautiful dress!" When Catherine rolled her eyes, Mary said, "Alright, maybe that's not one of the main reasons, but seriously, come on! Every girl dreams of walking down the aisle in a gorgeous dress."

"I really am fine with something simple."

"Simple? Simple, she says," Mary muttered. "Let me tell you something, with me around, your wedding is gonna be everything _except_ simple."

"I figured."

"How about we go tomorrow? It's Saturday-no school so the girls can come with us. We'll get Lauren and Kono to come, too. It'll be a girl's day out!"

"You really are into this."

"Like I said, simplicity is not in my vocabulary."

"I don't know, Mary, we haven't even set a definite date yet."

"Come on, Catherine, it'll be a girls' day out! We can pick out dresses, get some lunch, and then we can go to the mall."

Catherine sighed. "Okay, fine."

* * *

On Saturday morning, Catherine, Mary, Lauren, Kono, Willow, Serenity, and Grace entered a bridal shop.

"I'll be with you in a moment!" a voice called from a room in the back.

"People actually get paid to design this?" Catherine muttered. She pulled out a multicolored bridesmaid dress, the top covered in sequins and the bottom framed with feathers.

"Yeah, that's a little over-the-top, but we'll find something. This is one of the best bridal stores on this island," Mary whispered back. "And anyway, it looks like only this section has designs like that."

Catherine sighed as she put the dress back. "I hope so."

A woman came into the room. "Hello. My name is Vera. Welcome to my store. Who is the bride?" she asked, a thick accent in her voice.

"We're actually shopping for two weddings," Mary said.

"Oh, even more dresses to try on!" Vera exclaimed. "So who are the two brides?"

"Myself and Catherine here." Mary put her hand on Catherine's arm.

"Such gorgeous brides. Must be two very lucky men. Okay, and what are we looking for in the dress?"

"I want something simple," Catherine immediately stated before Mary could go into her _simplicity-is-not-in-my-vocabulary _speech.

"Full length?"

"Yes."

"Follow me."

Vera lead them to a small room filled with white dresses. "This is what you are looking for." She pointed to a section of gowns. "And for you?"

"I want a little bit of design on the front," Mary explained.

"You come with me."

After an hour of debating, Catherine chose her dress. It was plain white with sheer three-quarter sleeves.

"It's gorgeous," Mary approved. "You're going to look amazing. What do you think of mine?"

Mary's dress had a floral design that made its way down one side of it and sheer short sleeves.

"You're going to look incredible. It's beautiful."

"Have you thought about colors for the bridesmaid dresses?" Vera asked.

"No," Mary replied as Catherine said, "Not yet."

"I think you will find something over here." Vera brought them back to the front room and indicated to a wall. She looked at Kono, Lauren, Grace, Serenity, and Willow. "Is this the same bridal party for both weddings?"

"Yes," Catherine and Mary answered in unison.

"It isn't often the wedding party is this beautiful," Vera complimented. "You will all look stunning in anything you pick out."

The bridesmaid dress for Catherine's wedding was lavender while for Mary's wedding it was brown.

"Let's get some lunch and then we'll go to the mall!" Mary exclaimed as everyone exited the store.

"Great, more shopping," Catherine mumbled.

* * *

_There is probably going to be another update tomorrow, so please review!_


	14. The Parents

**So this chapter is a lot later than I said it would be, but there were problems with the previous chapter that had to be fixed. Please enjoy this anyway!**

"What's wrong with you?" Steve asked when Danny walked into Five-0 headquarters with something obviously wrong.

"What's wrong with me? Let me tell you what's wrong with me. I got stuck writing twenty-three Valentine cards for a bunch of eight-year-olds! They're eight years old, they shouldn't be celebrating Valentine's Day yet!" Danny ranted.

"I know. I had to do all of Willow's. Thankfully the kids Serenity's age have outgrown that stuff. And then Willow tells me to put candy with the cards."

"Yeah, I had to do that, too! I mean, Tommy doesn't need any more candy. He's already off the wall. Apparently, he now kills jellyfish with his bare hands."

They were interrupted by Steve's cell phone. "McGarrett," he answered.

_"Hi, Daddy, it's Willow."_

"Hi, sweetie. Is everything okay?"

_"Where are you?_

"At work."

_"You're not on your way yet?"_

"Where am I going?"

_"You're coming in to help with my class's Valentine's Day party."_

"I am?" When did he agree to this?

_"Yeah, Mommy signed you up. I brought home a paper and she wrote on it that you would love to help," Willow explained._

"Okay, I'm on my way. I love you, Willow."

_"Love you, too, Daddy!"_

Steve put his phone down and groaned. "Great, now I get to spend the day with a room full of seven-year-olds."

"This is just the beginning!" Danny said, laughing. "Wait until you're asked to come in on a regular basis. After the first time you help, you _keep_ getting called to help!"

"Shut up. I didn't even sign up for this. Apparently, Catherine signed me up without my knowledge." Steve grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

"Where you going, boss?" Kono asked as she and Chin walked into headquarters.

"He's going to a Valentine's party!" Danny exclaimed, still laughing his head off. Just then his phone started to ring. Looking at who was calling, his smirk immediately fell. "Oh, no."

"That's what you get when you laugh at me for having to do this!" Steve yelled on his way out.

* * *

"I swear, if one more kid yelled 'Willow's dad' and asked me to do some crap-I mean stuff," Steve quickly corrected himself when Willow scowled at him. "We don't say words like that, I'm sorry, Willow. But if I heard 'Willow's dad' one more time I was going to pass out from annoyance."

"Daddy just sat there and didn't do anything," Willow said, glaring at him.

"I don't really go to Valentine's day parties very often, Willow" Steve proclaimed. "Please don't sign me up for anything like that again!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was such a hard thing to do, spending time with your daughter," Catherine said.

"There are plenty of things I can do to spend time with my daughter that don't involve second graders who had sugar all day."

"It's like you're married already," Serenity muttered, sitting beside Steve on the couch.

"It's amazing how some of these kids behave. It's like their parents never taught them their manners."

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Steve, they're seven years old!"

"That's no excuse. Willow's seven and doesn't act like that!"

"They're banoxious," Willow said, looking through her Valentine cards.

Steve and Catherine smiled at each other. "I think you mean obnoxious, honey," Steve said.

"Not banoxious?" Willow questioned. "Okay."

"And we know not to act like that or use words like a few of them were using, right?" Steve asked.

Willow nodded. "Right. I would get a spanking if I was banoxious and said bad words." She frowned. "I said it wrong again, didn't I?"

"It's okay. It's hard to say a new word," Catherine said softly. "It's ob-nox-ious."

"Ob-nox-ious. Obnoxious." Willow grinned. "I said it!"

"Good job, Willow. Now let's put all your cards and candy away so you can have dinner, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy."

Catherine beamed. That was the first time after getting asking about it in the hospital that Willow called her Mommy.

"I told you she loved you," Steve whispered to Catherine when he stood up next to her.

She nodded, still smiling.

* * *

As she cleaned up the kitchen, Catherine went over all the events that were going on this week. She hoped one would go unnoticed as it was said with all the rest.

"Serenity, I want to see you studying for at least a half hour today for your English test on Wednesday. Willow, I'll help you with your subtraction facts after dinner. My parents are coming in two days. Also, Danny called and said Grace wants to have you girls over tomorrow. You have basketball practice tomorrow, Serenity, and a game the day after."

"Wait a minute. Did you say your parents were coming in two days?" Steve questioned.

"Damn it," Catherine muttered under her breath. "Yes. They called yesterday."

"Your mom and dad are coming?" Willow asked.

"Yes. They live on Maui. They're flying here."

"So are they our grandma and grandpa?"

Catherine nodded.

Steve carried his plate to the sink. "I've never met your parents. What if they don't like me?"

"They'll like you."

"How do you know that?"

"Just don't worry about that."

"How can I not? I'm marrying their daughter. It's kind of important that they like me."

"Steven, listen to me. They. Will. Like. You." When Steve started to ask another question, Catherine stopped him. "Don't you dare ask me again how I know they'll like you. I just have a feeling they will. My fiancé is hard not to like." She smiled at Steve.

He smiled back. "I am hard not to like, aren't I?"

"Okay, let's not build up too much of an ego here."

"But seriously, what if they don't like me?"

"Well _I_ love you, and that's all that matters."

* * *

"So Lauren says 'My parents are coming from Maui in two days. They'd like to meet you.' What am I supposed to say?" Chin shook his head. "She gives me two days to prepare for this. It's been two days and I still don't know what to do. If I want them to like their daughter's boyfriend, I need to make a good impression."

"Yeah, Catherine springs this on me like it's no big deal, and you know what? It is a big deal! They're gonna be my in-laws."

Danny sighed. "I'm a little worried about my future brother-in-law myself. I hear he should be receiving mental help."

Steve glared at him. "Yes, only because he has to deal with a certain detective's rants every day."

"Daddy!"

Willow was heard before she was seen. She ran into Steve's arms.

"Hey, Willow, I didn't know you were coming to see me today," Steve said.

Catherine, Serenity, and Lauren walked in next. "Are you ready to go?" Catherine asked.

Reluctantly, Steve and Chin followed them out of Five-0 headquarters.

* * *

Victoria and Andrew Rollins walked through the airport after their flight from Maui and landing in Oahu.

"Do you see them anywhere?" Victoria asked her husband. Victoria had the same long brown hair as both her daughters.

"There they are," Andrew replied, leading the way to where he saw their daughters. They greeted them happily.

Chin and Steve exchanged a final nervous glance before turning to meet Lauren and Catherine's parents.

"Mom, Dad, this is my fiancé, Steve McGarrett," Catherine introduced.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rollins," he said awkwardly.

Victoria smiled. "You can call me Victoria, Steve." She wrapped him in a hug.

"And you can call me Andrew." Andrew shook Steve's hand.

Catherine smiled at Steve, knowing he was slightly worried about meeting her parents. "And these are Steve and my daughters, Serenity and Willow."

Without warning, Victoria pulled both of them into her arms.

Meanwhile, Lauren was standing farther away next to Chin. "I don't think I can be fake with her."

"What do you mean?" Chin asked, confused.

"I can't be fake with my mother. She and I got into a big fight the last time I talked to her. When she comes over here, she's going to make it seem like it never happened. I'm tired of her doing that. I'm not letting her treat me like I'm still a little kid and she's always right. Here they come."

"Lauren!"

She smiled. "Hi, Dad!" She didn't acknowledge Victoria.

"Hi, Lauren."

Dropping her smile, Lauren nodded. "Mom." Grinning again at her dad, she said, "Dad, this is Chin Ho Kelly. We've been together for two and a half months."

Chin said the same words Steve had greeted Catherine and Lauren's parents with, and again they said to call them by their first names.

"Do you have all your bags?" Catherine asked.

"Yes," Victoria answered. "Our hotel isn't far from here."

* * *

"So what's wrong between you and your mom?"

"She didn't want me to come to Oahu. She said that if Catherine was going to be on a ship in some unknown part of the world in constant danger, she needed me close," Lauren explained.

"So she felt like she was losing both of her daughters," Chin concluded.

"I guess. But this was where I found the best job to take. She didn't care about that, only about herself."

"You need to talk to her."

"I don't think I can without losing my cool." Lauren sighed. "You're right, though. I should talk to her, and I'll work on what I'm going to say so I stay calm while I do."

**So there's drama with Lauren and her mother...**

**I couldn't resist putting in the comment Danny made about his future brother-in-law...**

**Please review!**


	15. The MotherDaughter Talks

**A lot of mother-daughter drama in this chapter. Please leave a review!**

Lauren walked down the hallway of the hotel her parents were staying at. She didn't want to do this, but she had to. When she found the right room, Lauren hesitated before knocking.

Victoria answered it with a smile. "Lauren!"

"You can cut the act, Mom," Lauren said, keeping her face stoic.

Victoria's smile fell a little. "Come inside."

Lauren entered the suite. "Where's Dad?"

"He went to get some stuff we needed."

"Why are you pretending that nothing happened?" Lauren asked.

"Because I want to forget about it," Victoria immediately responded. "I regret everything I said to you. I was selfish."

"Why did you want me to stay? What did it matter to you?"

"When you have kids, you'll understand."

"I'm asking for an answer now, Mom."

Victoria was silent for a moment. "I didn't want another member of my family to leave me."

"What do you mean?"

"When your father and I first got married, he worked for the secret service and I was a nurse at a hospital in Washington, D.C. I constantly worried about him. He protected the country's leaders from dangerous people and was gone for a while every so often. I told him that if we were going to start a family, he had to be here. So he got a job with the FBI in New York City and I got a job at local hospital. We moved there two years before you were born. When you were seventeen and Catherine was thirteen, your father was working on a case involving a very dangerous kidnapper. He got a lead that brought him to Maui. He was gone for-"

"A month. I remember."

Victoria nodded. "When he called and told me he caught the kidnapper, I never felt so relieved in my life. I had been so scared. Do you remember when we flew to Maui for a vacation?"

"Yes."

"That was three days after your father called. We loved it there so much that he applied for a job at the Maui Police Department. He was hired as a detective. He's been there ever since. I thought I was finally done with my family leaving, but then your sister told us she was joining the Navy. When she left for Anapolis, I realized another member of my family was leaving. You were the only one that never left. When you decided to become a nurse, I was so happy that you chose the same career as me. You even worked in audiology with me. And then you left four years ago."

"Working in audiology was not what I wanted to do. Do you know how it felt to be recommended for a job at one of the best medical offices in the state? I was ecstatic and you didn't even care."

"Listen to me, sweetie. I am so ashamed of everything I said to you before you came to Oahu. I wish I could go back in time and take all my words back, but I can't. I hope you know how sorry I am."

For a moment, Lauren didn't say anything. When she did, her voice was no more than a whisper. "I didn't know you felt that way. You know, about people leaving you."

"It's no excuse for what I did, Lauren."

Lauren shook her head. "No, Mom, it's no excuse for what _I_ did. I should have never left."

"It's not your fault, honey. It's mine."

When Andrew came back to the hotel, he found his wife's arms around their daughter, both of them crying.

* * *

Catherine and Victoria were in the kitchen going over plans for Steve and Catherine's wedding.

"What do you think of Steve, Mom?" Catherine asked.

"I like him. He's very good looking."

"Mom!"

Victoria smiled. "It's the truth."

"But what about _him_? Not just that's he's good looking."

"He's a great dad. I can tell he's going to be a great husband and son-in-law."

"So you do like him?"

"Very much."

Catherine smiled. _And Steve was worried_, she thought.

"Your girls are fantastic. So well behaved, so polite. You and Steve are doing a wonderful job."

"Thanks, Mom. Serenity didn't like me very much at first. It was before Steve and I adopted the girls. Steve was legally their guardian and I wasn't, so Serenity didn't like me being around."

"Well you'd never know that now. She clearly respects you as her mother."

Although Catherine nodded, Victoria knew her daughter well, and something was bothering her.

"What's bothering you, honey?" Victoria asked. "And don't give me 'nothing.'"

Catherine sighed. "Serenity still calls me Catherine. I'm her mom, but she doesn't want to acknowledge that. When she talks to Steve, she calls him Dad, but she doesn't call me Mom."

Victoria took her daughter's hand in her own. "I think that in Serenity's mind, calling someone Mom is a bad thing. Her biological mother was a terrible person. She probably used to think that calling someone Dad was a bad thing, too, but she realized that Steve loves her and cares about her. She's still in the process of realizing that you love and care about her as well. It took her a while to say Dad, and it's the same process with calling you Mom."

"But Willow calls me Mommy."

"Willow's younger. The emotions of a young child are faster to change than the emotions of a more matured twelve-year-old."

"I guess so."

"Listen to me, Catherine. You are doing nothing wrong. Don't doubt yourself. I know from personal experience what it's like to raise two girls. I was always unsure of myself, but looking back, I must have done a good job because you and your sister are absolutely amazing women. I am so proud of both of you. And if you ever need to talk about something, not only about being a mom but about anything, you can _always_ talk to me."

"Thank you, Mom. I really appreciate that. Now speaking of Serenity, her birthday is coming up."

Victoria smiled. "Then we have a party to plan."

* * *

On Saturday, Steve was sitting in the kitchen when someone walked in. He smiled. This was when Catherine arrived. She came a little bit later on weekends than on weekdays because they didn't have to be up as early for work. They shared a kiss, not knowing that another person was in the room.

"Lovely scene to wake up to," Mary said as she walked down the stairs.

"I'm sorry, Mary," Catherine apologized. "I thought you already left to see Danny and Grace." Mary usually left early every morning to them, just like Catherine did to see her family.

"I'm going to tell Serenity happy birthday before I go."

Willow came downstairs first with a folded piece of paper that had been colored on. "It's Serenity's birthday! Look, Daddy, I made her a card!" She ran over to Steve who lifted her up immediately.

"Nice job, Willow. Your sister is going to love it."

"Love what?" Serenity asked as she walked into the room.

"The card I made you! Happy birthday, Serenity!" Willow walked forward to her sister and handed her the card.

"Thanks, Willow." Serenity smiled.

After a few more "happy birthday"s were said, Mary left to see Grace and Danny. Catherine was surprised when Serenity asked to talk to her. They went upstairs in Serenity's room.

"What's up, Serenity?"

"Well, I've been talking to someone at school a lot lately. It's a guy. And now that I'm thirteen, I was wondering if maybe...if I could..."

"If you could see him?" Catherine filled in.

Serenity nodded.

"I think that would be okay, but I'm not sure how this is going to go over with your father." When Serenity looked disappointed, Catherine said, "But I'll talk to him about. Don't worry. I know what it's like. Steve and I were fourteen when we met. I didn't tell anyone I had met a guy I liked, so we met in secret. That's why Steve has never met my parents. I'm proud that you didn't do what I did and told me instead of going behind our backs."

Serenity nodded. "I thought you lived on different islands."

"Even though we lived in Maui, we came to Oahu a lot. We met on the beach. Lauren told me some kid was staring at me and it was Steve. It was getting pretty annoying, actually, so I went up to him and told him to take a picture because I'd rather not see him standing there watching me." Catherine laughed at the memory. "We somehow grew to like each other. Everytime we came to Oahu, Steve and I made sure to meet. We talked about what we wanted to do in the future. We both wanted to join the Navy and start-" She broke off.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just that we wanted to start a family, and now look how it turned out." She smiled.

Serenity returned the smile. "It turned out pretty good, Mom."

Catherine's smile grew into a beam. "It certainly did." She hugged Serenity.

_Yes_! Catherine thought.


	16. The Wedding

**I hope you like this chapter and please review!**

Her sister was the first call. Lauren picked up her phone and quickly dialed Catherine's number, the smile on her face growing bigger.

Catherine answered on the second ring. Lauren wasted no time in telling her what happened. As soon as she heard Catherine say the first syllable of "hello," Lauren blurted out, "Chin proposed!"

"Oh my gosh!" Catherine exclaimed, yet it was no surprise. The way those two looked at each other, Catherine knew this would happen soon, but that didn't mean she didn't want to hear the details. "Tell me everything."

Lauren went right into the story, talking quickly in all her excitement. "So he picks me up and brings me to a really fancy restaurant. We had dinner and it was the most romantic night of my life! Then we went for a walk on the beach and he proposed!"

"That's so sweet."

"I know. I'm so excited. I can't stop looking at this ring, it's just so beautiful! I'm getting married, Catherine! Chin and I are gonna start a family!"

"It's a good feeling, isn't it?" Catherine was talking from experience.

"It certainly is," Lauren agreed. She looked up the see Chin walking back from his car. "Oh, he's coming back! Gotta go!"

"Okay. Congratulations!"

"Thanks! See you later."

"Bye."

Lauren hung up her phone and put it away as Chin made his way back over to the blanket they put out on the beach.

"I got you something," he said, handing Lauren another jewelry box.

She opened it to reveal beautiful ruby earrings. Lauren gasped and was nearly speechless. "You got me...how'd you know...July..."

"Your birthstone," Chin stated.

Lauren looked up at him. "Thank you so much." She leaned over to kiss him, which he happily returned.

* * *

Steve and Catherine's wedding was approaching quickly. All the dresses were in and the flowers were ordered. On the night of the rehearsal dinner, Andrew and Steve found themselves talking.

"I guess I haven't been very...talkative," Andrew admitted. "But you are marrying one of my little girls."

"I understand."

"Wait until you have to give Mary away to Danny. And then Serenity and Willow will be grown up before you know it and they'll have boyfriends." Andrew looked at Steve's face and couldn't help his laughter. "Yeah, it'll happen after you blink. Then I find out another one of my little girls is engaged. I'm going to have to give both of them away." He shook his head. "The time just flies by."

"Yeah, Serenity wants to go to the movies. With a boy. It's not happening."

"I know what you're saying. I knew that you were dating Catherine since you two were fourteen. You know how hard it was for me to allow that?"

Surprised, Steve looked up at him. "How'd you know?"

"I couldn't call myself a cop if I didn't know what my daughters were up to. Besides, it was easy to figure out when the same kid was around whenever we came to Oahu."

Steve looked a bit embarrassed. "She said she would get in trouble if she got caught."

"She's very sneaky. Makes her good at her job, though. Lauren was the crazy one. Always told you what was on her mind. But she's very good at what she does." Andrew spoke proudly of his daughters.

With the same tone of pride in his voice, Steve said, "I'm very lucky to have Willow and Serenity." He left a little bit of silence before asking, "What do you think of me taking Catherine to New York for our honeymoon? Did she like it there?"

"She loved it. Of course, Hawaii is her home, but New York is like her home away from home. It's where she grew up. It's where all her childhood memories originated." Andrew smiled at the memories that came to his head. "I think she'd love it. But you take care of her while you're there, you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Not that she needs to be watched out for, you know how tough she is. But when I think of Catherine back when we were living in New York I think of a little girl. Hell, I always think of her as a little girl. But I'm serious, and I know you are, too. And as hard as it is for me to say this, I'm happy Catherine's marrying you. You two are obviously in love-after all, you _have _been together since you were fourteen."

* * *

On the day of the wedding, all the bridesmaids gathered at Catherine's apartment. Light purple gowns filled the living room as everyone fixed their hair.

"You girls look so beautiful!" Catherine exclaimed as she looked at Serenity, Willow, and Grace.

"You look stunning, Mom," Serenity stated.

"Thank you, sweetie. I can't even believe this!"

"It feels so unreal that you could be so lucky," Victoria said knowingly.

"Exactly."

"It seems like just yesterday you walking for the first time, and now you're getting married. You're all grown up."

"Catherine!"

Everyone turned to see Mary with a scowl on her face. She walked over and crossed her arms. "Why did I find these shoes thrown in the back of your closet?"

"You sound like my mother," Catherine muttered.

"Don't worry, Mary, there's nothing wrong with sounding like me."

Mary smiled. "I know, Mrs. Rollins. Your daughter here just doesn't appreciate the shoes I spent _seven hours_ travelling from store to store to find so her wedding would be perfect."

"I think my wedding would be perfect with or without the shoes."

"No, no, no." Mary shook her head and added one laugh. "Oh, no. It may be _close_ to perfect, but it won't _be_ perfect. Not without these shoes."

Catherine glared. "I don't think the shoes matter as much as the man I'm marrying."

"Okay, so maybe I'm being a bit dramatic."

"A bit? Really, that's all your admitting to?"

Mary sighed. "Alright, fine. Maybe I'm being a lot dramatic. But we're not going into a debate over how dramatic I was. We need to get you ready!"

When everyone was ready, the girls left in a limousine. It wasn't long before Andrew was walking Catherine down the aisle to stand by Steve. They were soon officially husband and wife and they shared a kiss.


	17. The InLaws

**Since Steve and Catherine's wedding was set to take place in July, it's summer in the story. Please review!**

"You're leaving us?" Willow asked sadly, her eyes full of tears that were threatening to fall.

Steve crouched down in front Willow. "Of course not, sweetheart. Your mom and I are only going to be gone for a week and a half. But we'll call you every night before you go to sleep. Okay?"

Willow nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You promise you're not leaving us?"

"I promise."

"And you promise you'll call us every night?"

"We promise," Catherine said, putting her arm around Willow's shoulders. "You and Serenity are going to stay with Grandma and Grandpa while we go."

"That's why we're at the airport?"

"That's right. You're flying to Maui."

"Then you're gonna come get us?"

"As soon as we land in Maui, we're picking you up and then we're flying back to Oahu."

Willow accepted it. "Alright."

"Willow, stop crying. They're coming back, just suck it up."

"Serenity!" Steve's voice was short yet stern.

More tears came from Willow, first from Serenity's words and then from Steve's strict tone, thinking he was mad at her.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I can't help it! I'll try to stop crying!"

"No, honey, it's okay." Steve took Willow in his arms.

"I can't stop crying!"

"It's okay to cry, Willow."

"No it's not, Serenity said so!"

Serenity shook her head. "Willow, I didn't mean it."

Willow stamped her foot. "Yes you did!"

"Willow, I know your sister was mean to you, but you don't behave badly in return," Steve said firmly.

"I know, Daddy, I'm sorry!"

"Sweetie, why don't you come with me while your daddy talks to Serenity, okay?"

"Okay, Mom."

Catherine took Willow's hand and lead the way to the gift shop.

"Serenity, we've talked about this before. You can't say things like that to your sister."

"Dad, she's a freaking crybaby! You guys are gonna be on your honeymoon for a week and a half. Why can't she deal with it? I mean, come on!"

"Willow just turned eight. She doesn't understand that we're coming back. She thinks we're leaving you two. So that means you have to consider how she's feeling. Is that understood?"

Serenity sighed. "Yes, Dad."

"Good. Let's go find your mom and Willow."

* * *

"Thank you so much, Mom. Are you sure you can handle them?"

Victoria smiled. "Catherine, just in case you don't remember, I _did _raise two girls. Of course I can handle them."

"And they'll be on they're best behavior, won't they?" Catherine asked.

"Yup!" Willow exclaimed.

"Always am," Serenity stated. After the "yeah, right" look she got from Catherine, she added, "Most of the time."

"We'll land in San Francisco in a little less than seven hours. The layover time is about three and a half hours. We'll call you when we get there," Catherine said.

Nodding, Victoria replied, "Okay."

"Then we're flying to Newark. That'll take a little more than eight hours. Willow, Serenity, you two should be getting ready to go to sleep at that time, so we'll call you as soon as we arrive."

"How are you getting from Newark to New York City?"

"There's going to be a car waiting for us there," Steve answered. "We'll call every night."

Willow nodded and flung her arms around him. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Willow. But we'll be back before you know it."

"Are you girls sure you have everything you need?" Catherine asked. She was satisfied with the two nods she received. Then she turned to her parents. "Willow has to be in bed at nine. You got that, Dad?"

"Why do you think I'm going to let her stay up later?"

"Maybe because you give in to everything. Serenity can stay up until you think she needs to go to sleep. We usually say no later than eleven, but it _is_ summer, so eleven-thirty wouldn't be the end of the world." She turned to the girls. "Stay out of trouble, be good, and I love you." They both responded the same as Catherine hugged them.

Now it was Steve's turn. He hugged them and told him he loved them, and Willow and Serenity did the same. Steve and Catherine soon left.

* * *

"What do you two want for lunch?" Victoria questioned. "I'll make you anything you want."

Once she started on making lunch, Willow asked her, "Grandma? Can you tell me a story about my mom when she was my age?"

Victoria smiled at Willow's question. "Sure. We were living in New York City when she was your age."

"Isn't that where my parents are going on their honeymoon?"

"Yes. Your mom lived there until she was thirteen."

"Until she was Serenity's age."

Victoria nodded. "When your mom was eight and your Auntie Lauren was twelve they got in a sisterly fight, just like you and your sister do sometimes. Auntie Lauren was mad at your mom because she read her diary."

"Serenity tells me I can't read her diary, otherwise she'll get mad. So what happened?"

"Auntie Lauren got so mad that she pushed your mom over."

Willow gasped. "That's mean!"

"I know. Your mom thought so, too, because she called your grandpa at work and told him Lauren needed to go to jail."

The little girl laughed. "Pushing is not nice, but you don't go to jail because of it."

Smiling, Victoria said, "You're right, Willow. That's just how sisters are."

Serenity snickered. "Tell me about it."

* * *

"Grace, Auntie Mary, and Uncle Danny are here!" Willow exclaimed as she walked around the airport with Serenity, Victoria, and Andrew. They just landed in Oahu and were waiting for Steve and Catherine's flight to land.

Grace spotted them as well. She ran over to her best friend. "Hey, Willow! What are you doing here?"

"My parents are coming home today! What about you?"

"My grandparents are coming to see us."

"And I'm very worried about it," Mary whispered as she hugged Victoria.

Victoria understood completely. "I remember how nervous I was to meet my in-laws, but now I love them. And the same thing will happen to you. They must be great if they raised the amazing man you're engaged to."

Mary smiled. "Thanks. That makes me feel a little bit better. It's funny how they're on the same flight as my brother and my new sister-in-law."

"Yeah, I knew Catherine and Steve were flying from Newark, but I didn't realize that Danny's parents were coming on the same day."

It wasn't long before the flight was announced to have landed. Catherine and Steve were off the plane before Danny's parents. They said hello to everyone before getting their luggage. Victoria grinned at the "Hi, Mom" she received from her new son-in-law. Andrew was also happy with the "Hi, Dad" Steve greeted him with.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Grace exclaimed as she ran forward.

Mary tensed when Grace and her grandparents began to walk over to them.

"Danny!" His mother wrapped him in a hug. "I missed you so much!"

"Mom, there are people around," Danny said, but he didn't mind the attention from his mom.

She pulled away. "Oh, I always forget my baby is all grown up!"

"Mom, Dad, this is Mary."

Mary smiled as best she could with her nerves. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Williams."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, honey! It's either Melissa and Seth or Mom and Dad, since we're going to be your in-laws soon."

It seemed like things were off to a good start. Mary relaxed a bit.


	18. The Baby

**A certain day has arrived for the Five-0 family. :) Please review!**

"I like Mary," Melissa stated. "I like her one hundred percent-no, scratch that. I like her one _billion_ percent better than that witch Rachel you brought home. Who warned you about her, Danny?"

"She was different before, Mom."

"Daniel, who warned you about her?" Melissa asked again, firmer this time.

"You did," Danny answered robotically, having been through this conversation several times before.

Melissa nodded. "That's right. I already consider Mary to be my daughter. But if you two plan on starting a family, you're going to have to start looking for a house. Right now that apartment of yours is too small for just you and Grace. Where does Mary live?"

"With her brother. She had a rental home, but Steve is too overprotective to let her stay there."

"Well I'm not letting you bring a baby into your apartment. By the time he's born, you either are in a house or I'm taking him and Grace back home with me. Take your pick."

Danny sighed. "Trust me, Mom, I want to buy a house. We'll figure something out."

"What do you think of your father and I moving here?"

"Why on earth would you want to do that?"

"It's beautiful here, Danny. Not to mention that my son, his future wife, and my granddaughter live here."

"Beautiful? That's the word you use to describe this place? Mom, it's not as beautiful as you think! You should hear about some of the cases we get. It's anything _but_ beautiful. There are so many things wrong with this island, like the chance that a tsunami could come at any minute or a coconut could fall on your head and cause a serious injury! And not to mention the fact that you can't even have pizza without pineapple covering it."

Melissa waited a moment to talk after her son finished speaking. "If you hate it so much, why aren't you back in Jersey? You have full custody of Grace. You have no reason to stay here, yet here you are. Why, Danny? You obviously want to be here."

"Because Mary's here, and I love her."

"And if she loves you, which I know she does, she'd be willing to go back to Jersey with you."

Danny shook his head. "Every time I start to pack and say that I'm going back home, I find myself thinking that I am home. It's starting to feel like...like I belong here."

Melissa smiled. "You found a family here."

"I never expected to."

"So really, what do you think of us moving here? I'll make you three meals a day."

"Well, then, move as soon as possible."

* * *

"When is the baby gonna be here?"

"Soon, Gracie," Seth answered.

"I'm gonna be a big sister."

"That's a very important job," Melissa said.

Grace nodded, taking the situation very seriously. "I know, Grandma. I have to make sure my little brother's okay."

Seth smiled. "You're going to be a great big sister, sweetheart."

"I hope so, Grandpa."

"Hi, everyone. Is the baby here yet?" Catherine asked as she walked into the waiting room with Steve, Serenity, and Willow behind her.

Grace shook her head. "Not yet. Daddy's going to come tell us when he's here."

Willow and Grace soon became inpatient, so Steve decided to take them to the hospital gift shop.

"Uncle Steve?" Grace asked.

Steve looked down at her with a surprised expression.

"Do you not want me to call you that? It's just that your sister is officially my mom and that makes you my uncle."

"Of course you can call me that." Steve smiled. "I've just never heard you say it before."

Grace beamed. "Okay. But I have a question. When are my mom and my daddy going to get married?"

"Soon, now that the baby is going to be here."

She nodded to show her understanding. "Uncle Steve?"

"Yes, honey?"

"What's a probation officer? That's what my mom says she's gonna be when my brother is here."

"A probation officer makes sure people who might do bad things don't do them," Steve explained with child-friendly terms.

"Oh. So does that mean a probation officer makes sure people who aren't in jail don't do things that would make them go to jail?"

"Yeah, that's basically what they do."

"I might wanna do that, but I think I'd rather be a cop and catch bad guys."

Just then Steve's phone beeped. It was a text message from Catherine.

_The baby is here!_

"What happened?" Willow asked.

"The baby's here. Let's go back."

Everybody was soon crowded around Mary's hospital bed. Mary had her son in her arms, smiling gently at everyone as they walked in. Danny's hand was on top of Mary's arm.

"What's his name?" Melissa asked softly.

"We've had a few choices," Danny replied. "We're leaning toward-"

"Noah," Mary finished.

After a few days in the hospital, Mary and Danny brought Noah to the house they had recently purchased.

"His room is right across from mine!" Grace pointed out excitedly.

Mary smiled. "That way Noah always has his big sister looking out for him. But he's going to stay with us until he gets a little bigger."

"And then is he going to stay in his room?"

Danny nodded. "It's getting late now, Grace, and Noah is already sleeping, so you should go to sleep, too."

"Okay," Grace said reluctantly, adding a sigh for more effect. "If I have to. Goodnight, Daddy."

"Goodnight, monkey."

Grace walked over to Mary. "Goodnight, Mom."

Grinning, Mary replied, "Goodnight, Gracie."


	19. The Crime

**This chapter starts to show a more rebellious side of Serenity. She's thirteen, after all. Please review!**

Serenity had to get herself in trouble. She would be dead if her parents found out that she had shoplifted at a drugstore.

She thought she had been inconspicuous when she slipped the lip gloss and mascara into her bag, but apparently, she had been the exact opposite. The guy who worked there, who looked only a few years older than her, had seen her.

"I don't know why you even bothered to call the cops," Serenity said to him.

Sending him a scowl, Serenity remained silent for the rest of the time, determined to keep up a tough girl attitude.

"Are you Kenny Goodrow?" a police officer asked when he walked into the store. "I'm Officer Alapa from the Honolulu Police Department."

The kid nodded. "Yeah. I called because she was shoplifting." Kenny glared at Serenity.

The officer turned to Serenity. "Shoplifting is more serious than you seem to believe, young lady. Do you understand that you could be in a lot of trouble for this?"

Serenity dropped the tough girl facade. "Please don't arrest me."

"What's your name?"

"Serenity McGarrett."

"Any relation to Steve McGarrett who runs Five-0?"

"Yes, that's my dad."

Officer Alapa looked unsure of Serenity's statement. The girl did, after all, just attempt to steal from a drugstore. He sighed. "Fine. I'll call him."

"McGarrett," Steve answered.

"Lieutenant Commander, this is Officer Alapa. I have a girl here accused of shoplifting. She's claiming to be your daughter."

Steve was silent for a moment. Shoplifting? One of his little girls shoplifting? "What's her name?"

"She says she's Serenity McGarrett, but I wanted to double check with you."

"Where are you?"

After the officer told Steve their location, the call was ended. Serenity knew she would be in big trouble.

Serenity wasn't surprised that Steve was there in just a couple minutes. He always drove like a maniac whenever Five-0 was on a case or when he was mad, and Serenity knew which one was the issue this time.

"I'm sor-" Serenity began as soon as he walked in, but he cut her off.

"I don't want to hear it. I mean it," Steve said when it looked like Serenity was going to say something again. "Officer Alapa, thank you for calling me. I apologize for my daughter's behavior. I promise you I will make sure she never does this again." He turned to face Serenity. "Let's go." When she didn't move, he added a strict, "_Now_."

Serenity quickly rose to her feet, following Steve outside. She wished she was anywhere else at the moment.

"What were you thinking?" Steve demanded as soon as they were inside of his truck. "Or were you just not thinking? I don't want to hear any lies. You've done that enough today."

"How did I lie? I did things I shouldn't have done, but I didn't lie."

"Don't start with me, Serenity. You decided to steal merchandise from a store, which is lying. So don't try to say that you didn't lie. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dad."

"You are in so much trouble, Serenity. You can't even begin to imagine how much trouble you're in. No cell phone, no iPod, no computer, no TV, and no hanging out with your friends until further notice. You could have gotten charged with something and not let off with a warning if I wasn't with Five-0. Do you have any idea how lucky you are that I was able to get you out of it?"

"It was just lip gloss and mascara, Dad. It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal. If you continue to do things like this, you'll start to steal more valuable things until you're robbing a bank. What's after that, Serenity?"

Serenity waited a moment before she said, "You think I'm turning into them, don't you?" Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible.

"Turning into who?"

"You think I'm turning into Devin and Wendy," she said, referring to her biological parents.

Steve pulled the truck over to the side of the road. "Listen to me very closely, Serenity. I would never, ever, _ever _in a million years even begin to think that you or Willow were turning into them. Why would you even consider such a thing?"

Serenity hesitated before asking, "Would you love me more if my parents hadn't been serial killers? Would it make a difference?"

"It doesn't matter who they were. You and your sister are completely differen people from them. And besides, they're not your parents, are they?"

"No, they're not. But right now, you don't love me."

"I'm disappointed in you, Serenity, but that could never stop me from loving you. That will never change."

"But you'd be happier if they hadn't been serial killers. You'd love me more."

"What Wendy and Devin were has nothing to do with you. Nothing could change how much I love you. Of course I'd be happier if they hadn't been serial killers because then you wouldn't have so many post-traumatic stress incidents. Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to see you in any kind of pain?"

"So that means you won't spank me, right? Because if you hate seeing me in pain, you won't spank me."

Steve gave a short laugh. "Good one, but not going to get you out of it. You knew the consequences, but you still attempted to shoplift anyway. Nice try. But why did you try to steal? You know I would have bought whatever you wanted for you."

"Yeah, okay, Dad. You never would have allowed me to wear make-up, never mind buy it for me."

"You're right. I probably wouldn't. You still could have talked to your mother about it."

"I don't want to talk about what I stole right now."

Steve could tell there was much more behind this, but it wasn't his department, so he didn't question her further.

* * *

After dinner (during which Serenity did not sit comfortably) and once the girls were asleep, Steve told Catherine about what their oldest daughter had said earlier.

"Serenity asked if I thought she was turning into Devin and Wendy," he said. "Then she asked if I didn't love her because they were serial killers."

"Did you tell her that they're not her parents anymore? Did you tell her that you love her no matter what?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah."

"Shoplifting...that's not like her. I'll talk to her tomorrow morning. It isn't exactly your specialty."

Steve smiled. "It's definitely not. Wait a minute, you have to be at the base at 0700 tomorrow morning. How are you going to talk to Serenity?"

"I was getting to that. I've been reassigned. Just talked it over with my new boss yesterady. It's nothing to do with the Navy."

Confused, Steve asked, "Then what are you doing?"

Catherine smiled. "Don't worry, you'll like this. I said that I just talked it over with my new boss, the governor. She asked me to be the head of a security unit for high profile visitors to the island."

"So this means we'll be working in the same building."

"Right. And we have the same lunch break, so we can do this." Catherine stepped closer to Steve. "And this." She touched her lips to his. "And this." She kissed him passionately. "But maybe that can't be done at work, so let's do it all now."

* * *

Noah was now three months old and Mary was ready to start working as a probation officer. On the day she was taking her final test, Danny and Grace were home with Noah.

"Come on, Noah, you have to eat this," Danny said in an attempt to get Noah to eat. It was very difficult for anyone besides Mary to feed him.

Grace giggled. "He doesn't eat unless Mom is here."

"You think this is funny, Grace?" Danny's tone was playful. "He reminds me of someone else when they were a baby."

"I probably was a perfect baby!" Grace said after a dramatic gasp.

"I don't know about that, Gracie. You may have been a little bit stubborn, just like your brother."

"I'm home!" Mary called as she walked in the house.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Hi, sweetheart. Did you eat dinner yet?"

"Yup, but Noah won't eat."

"He won't? Well let's see what we can do about that."

Of course Noah ate immediately when Mary fed him.

"Mama's boy," Danny muttered.

"Like someone else I know," Mary said, looking at Danny. "How long have you talked to your mother for today, Danny?"

"Very funny."

Noah was asleep when Mary announced that it was time for Grace to go to bed. "It's getting late now, Grace."

Grace nodded.

"Goodnight, honey. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mom."

Danny led Grace to her room. "Goodnight, monkey. Dano loves you."

"Love you, too, Daddy."

Danny went back into Noah's room where Mary was rocking their son.

"I'm not going to get a real heavy load of work for a few months until Noah gets a little older. I feel bad making your parents watch him, though."

"They want to watch him, Mary. My dad's a retired firefighter and my mom does all her work from home. She submits stuff she writes to magazines and she writes newspaper articles. Trust me, they need him there so they don't go crazy from boredom."

"I don't want to go to work so soon, but we could definitely use the money with the wedding coming up and everything."

"Just one more month until we're married."


	20. The Marriage

**This story is going to be longer than I thought. I planned on starting a sequel, but I'm going to continue writing this one until the whole family is complete (meaning Chin and Lauren, and Kono and Ben).**

**Please review!**

"Good morning, Serenity," Catherine greeted when Serenity came downstairs. Catherine was in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Morning, Mom. You don't have to work today?"

"No, I do." She put a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Serenity.

"Thanks. But if you have to work, why didn't you leave yet?" Serenity asked, confused.

Catherine put scrambled eggs on another plate. "As soon as your dad is ready to go, I'm leaving. I got a new job, special security team."

Serenity nodded in understanding.

"We need to talk about what happened yesterday," Catherine stated. "I would think it was just a stupid teen thing if it wasn't make up. Tell me why you tried to steal."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well we're going to. So you can either tell me now or tell me when you get home from school today, but you will tell me."

Serenity sighed. "Fine. I wanted to wear make up but I didn't feel comfortable asking about it."

"You can always talk to me about anything. I would have bought it for you. Everything could have been avoided."

"I know. I shouldn't have done what I did. I just...I was so insecure of myself. I'm not the girly girl type."

Catherine smiled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It can be complicated sometimes. Why the sudden insterest in make up?"

"You can't tell Dad this or he will flip out, okay?"

"As long as it's not something bad, I won't tell him. You know you can trust me."

Serenity nodded. "There's a boy at school that I like. His name is Jeremy. We talk a lot and I thought he liked me, too. But a few days ago Renee was bragging that he liked her. I don't know if it was true, but it made sense. Renee is the epitome of girly. I just wanted Jeremy to notice me."

"If he really did like her, she probably wouldn't be announcing it to everyone. She'd be all over him. What's Jeremy like?"

"He's really nice and funny."

"Huh. Nice. Not something you find too often in a guy. Never let him go."

Serenity smiled. "He plays football and baseball. He has light brown hair and blue eyes. His dad's in the Air Force, in the Reserve now. I help Jeremy with his math homework during our study period. But outside of math, he's really smart. I just want him to notice me, and I'm not that noticeable."

"That's not true, Serenity. You're beautiful, and you don't need make up to prove that. But if you want I'll help you-only mascara and lip gloss, though, nothing else. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Mom."

* * *

Steve and Danny were going back to Five-0 headquarters (with Steve driving Danny's car, of course).

"So you took Catherine to New York for your honeymoon because she grew up there," Danny said.

"Yeah."

"So should I take Mary to L.A.? I know she grew up here, but she lived there for a while."

"I don't want to talk about that."

"Come on, you got to help me out here!" Danny exclaimed. "I already booked the flight and the hotel and everything, but now I'm second guessing myself."

Steve shook his head. "I'm not saying anything. I don't want to think about what you and my sister are going to be doing on your honeymoon."

"Relax, we're not going to be gone for a long time anyway. We have a baby to take care of, but we still want to do the traditional honeymoon. We're going for a weekend and then when Noah gets older, we'll go on a real honeymoon."

"Just go to L.A. She liked it there. I'm not saying anything about this 'real honeymoon' you're talking about."

"I just needed to know if she liked L.A."

"Then you should've asked 'Did Mary like L.A.?' instead of getting me paranoid about her going with you on a honeymoon."

Danny went into one of his rants. "Well I'm sorry that I don't have a book that tells me what questions are okay to ask and what I shouldn't say!"

"Maybe you should get one."

"Let's just stop talking about this."

"That's fine with me."

"Good, because I'm done talking to you."

"For how long?"

"That's undecided right now."

* * *

"Aw, Steve, are you crying?" Mary teased. Steve was getting ready to walk her down the aisle.

"No," he said. "I don't cry."

"You just get emotional."

"Well yeah, I'm about to give away my little sister."

Mary smiled. "You have got to stop thinking of me as a little girl. I have two kids. I'm grown up now."

"Who would have ever pictured you with two kids?"

"Are you kidding? Who would have ever thought of _you _with two kids?" Mary looked ahead. "It's almost time."

"You look beautiful, kiddo."

"Thank you. And will you stop glaring at Danny? Trust me, he knows perfectly well that you will beat him up if he does anything I don't like. It's time now. And Steve?"

"Yes?"

"Even though Dad isn't here to walk me down the aisle or dance with me at the reception, I'm glad that you are. Aloha, kaikunane."

"Aloha, kaikuahine."

They started to walk down the aisle.

Melissa held Noah with Seth right beside her. Catherine pointed out to Grace that her mother was coming down the aisle and when her parents were officially married.


	21. The Sickness

**Willow is an interesting character to write, but I have to admit that getting inside an eight-year-old's mind was hard! Please review and tell me what you think!**

"She's being very stubborn," Catherine announced when she walked out of Willow's room. "I think something's wrong, but she won't talk to me."

"You want me to try to get her up?" Steve asked. Usually it wasn't this difficult to get Willow ready for school.

Catherine sighed. "You should try, but just to warn you, she's not in a very good mood." She had been attempting to get Willow up to get ready for school since a half an hour ago. The eight-year-old was refusing to move.

Steve entered Willow's room and sat on the side of the bed. "Willow, it's time to wake up," he said gently.

Willow shook her head and coughed. "Go away!" she exclaimed. "I don't wanna talk to anyone!"

"Tell me what's wrong. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

Willow frowned as she shivered. "I can't tell you."

"You know you can tell me anything, so why can't you?"

"'Cause you'll make me go to the doctor!"

Steve now understood what his daughter wasn't telling him. "So you don't feel good, Willow?" He gently placed his hand on Willow's forehead. "You're forehead is very warm. You probably have a fever."

"But I'm cold."

"When you have a fever, you actually feel cold even though you have a high tempterature. What else doesn't feel good?"

"My head hurts really badly and my throat does, too. Please don't make me go to the doctor," the little girl begged, one again coughing.

"If you don't feel good, you have to go to the doctor. That way he'll make sure you get all better."

"I don't wanna. Don't make me," Willow pleaded. "Don't you love me?"

"Yes, and that's why I'm taking you to see the doctor. I want to make sure you're okay."

Willow looked up at him with big eyes traced with sadness, a look that _may _have broke Steve's heart (not that he'd ever admit it, though-he had a tough image to keep up). "Will you hold my hand?"

"Of course I will."

Catherine stood in the doorway. "Everything okay?"

Steve nodded. "Willow doesn't feel good. I'm going to take the day off work and bring her to the doctor."

"Are you sure? I can take the day off."

"No, I will."

Serenity walked up next to Catherine. "Mom, I'm ready to go."

"Okay, honey, let's go."

"Willow's not coming with us?"

"She's sick," Catherine stated. She walked over to the side of Willow's bed. "Bye, angel. I hope you feel better. Use Daddy's phone to call me as soon as you get out of the doctor's office, okay?"

"Okay," was Willow's weak reply.

Catherine gave Willow a sympathetic smile before leaving with Serenity.

"Willow, I'm going to get the phone. I'll be right back," Steve said.

Willow just nodded, keeping her eyes closed.

It didn't take long for Steve to go get the phone and return to Willow's room. The first call he made was to Willow's school.

"Hello, you've reached 'Uhane School. How can I help you?" a voice asked.

"My daughter is sick. She won't be coming in to school today."

"What's your daughter's name and what grade is she in?"

"Willow McGarrett. She's in third grade."

"Okay, it's all set."

"Thank you."

He hung up the phone as Willow asked after a cough, "I'm not going to school today?"

"No school when you're sick," Steve stated. He dialed another number.

"I haven't even gotten to headquarters yet and I already have to talk to you," Danny said when he answered the phone.

"I'm not coming to work today. Call me if there's an emergency."

"Something wrong?"

"Willow's sick. I'm staying with her."

"Alright."

Steve called Willow's pediatrician to schedule an appointment when he hung up after talking to Danny. Then he helped Willow get up and get ready.

Willow was half asleep when Steve carried her out to the truck. She felt too sick to keep her eyes open.

The wait at the doctor's office wasn't long since it was still early in the morning. Willow leaned against Steve as they sat on the blue chairs in the waiting room.

A nurse came out and stood in front of Willow. "Hi, Willow. My name is Ashley. You and your daddy can come right back here," she said with a warm smile.

Willow stood up and followed the nurse to an exam room. Steve was right behind her, keeping a concerned eye on his daughter. He lifted her onto the table and sat beside her.

Ashley sat down with a file in front of her. "Okay, Willow, what doesn't feel good?"

"My head and my throat."

Nodding, Ashley wrote that down in the file. Then she looked at Steve. "Have you noticed any other symptoms?"

"Her forehead feels warm and she's been coughing."

Scribbling notes in the file once more, Ashley stood up. "Alright, Dr. King should be in shortly," she said before leaving.

"Why are you making me do this, Daddy?" Willow questioned.

"I want to make sure you're okay," Steve explained.

Pouting, Willow said, "I'm mad at you. I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day, starting now."

"Don't be mad at me, Willow."

"Why not?"

"I thought you weren't talking to me."

Willow's hands flew to cover her mouth. "I'm not talking to you, starting now."

"Can you tell me why you don't want to be here?"

Willow glared at him. "Daddy, I said I'm not talking to you!" she exclaimed.

"But how can I know why you're mad at me if you don't tell me why?"

Sighing, Willow thought that over for a moment. She finally said, "Fine, I'll talk to you."

"Why don't you want to be here?"

"'Cause I'm scared," Willow admitted, her face wearing an apprehensive look.

Steve placed a hand on Willow's back. "Why are you scared, honey?"

"It's gonna hurt," she said, her voice very childlike with fear echoing her words.

"It won't," Steve promised.

"I'm not being a big girl," Willow proclaimed. "I'm being a wimp."

"You're not a wimp. It's okay to be scared."

Dr. King came in before they could say anything else.

* * *

"I have to call Mommy," Willow announced when they got back in the truck. Steve handed her his phone.

After dialing her mother's cell phone number, Willow put the phone to her ear. It rang twice before Catherine answered, "Willow, how'd it go?"

"I have a sinus infection," Willow stated. "I have to have...Daddy, what do I have to have?"

"Antibiotics."

"Right. I have to have anitbiotics. And guess what?"

"What, sweetheart?" Catherine asked.

"I was so scared that it was gonna hurt but Daddy said it wouldn't and it he was right. It didn't hurt at all."

"That's great, Willow. I'm so happy it didn't hurt. Now you're going to start to feel better. Sweetie, can I talk to Daddy for a minute?"

Willow reached from the backseat to hand Steve the phone. "She wants to talk to you, Daddy."

"Catherine?"

"I wanted to tell you this morning but it was a little crazy at home. Steve, I'm pregnant."


	22. The Announcement

**This picks up after the last chapter.**

**Please review!**

Catherine drove around in circles before finally deciding to go home. She hadn't wanted to tell Steve over the phone, but she ended up doing it. She didn't know how to tell him in person, though, and she certainly didn't know what his reaction would be. They already had two perfect kids. Would Steve think that another one would be too much? Catherine hoped not.

When she walked into the living room, Catherine found Serenity doing her homework and Willow leaning against Steve, half asleep. She didn't know how to describe the look on Steve's face when their eyes met. It was a combination of shock and unknowing of what to do. Catherine thought there might even be a bit of happiness there, but the shock took over most of the look.

"Hey, Mom," Serenity greeted, looking up from her homework.

"Hi, Serenity," Catherine said with a smile. Just being in the same room as Serenity and Willow for not even ten seconds made Catherine realize how amazing her daughters are, so a third child would be amazing, too, right?

"Hi, Mommy," Willow said sleepily.

Catherine walked over to her youngest daughter. She softly placed a hand on Willow's head. "Hi, Willow. Is the medicine helping at all?"

Nodding, Willow responded, "I feel a little bit better. I'm very tired."

"Just rest, honey," Catherine said. She turned her head to look at Steve. "We need to talk. Let's go."

Serenity's head snapped up from her paper when she heard that. "What's wrong?" she questioned.

"Nothing's wrong," Steve replied immediately.

Looking from her mom to her dad, Serenity asked, "Then why do you have to talk so Willow and I won't hear you?"

"It's just sometimes, Serenity...well, there are times when things need to be discussed between your father and me before we all talk about them."

"Oh." Serenity turned her gaze to the floor. "So you don't trust me?"

"Of course we trust you, sweetie," Catherine stated. "It's just something that should be talked about by adults first."

"So I'm not mature enough or something?"

Steve stepped in at this moment. "We want to talk-_alone_-about something we both know about already. So after we talk about it-_alone_-we'll tell you when we're ready, okay?"

Looking at them both again, Serenity sighed. "Okay."

Steve and Catherine went upstairs in their bedroom. Immediately Catherine said, "Don't you think you were a little harsh when you just spoke to Serenity?"

"And telling me over the phone that you're pregnant isn't harsh?" Steve asked.

"Well I'm sorry for being scared to tell you in person!" Catherine exclaimed angrily, her voice rising at the end.

"Why would you be scared to tell me?" Steve's voice was softer when he spoke this time.

"Since we already have two kids, I thought you..." Catherine shook her head. "Never mind, it's stupid."

When Steve reached for Catherine's hand, she hit his arm away. "Stay away from me! Don't think I'm going to forgive you for the way you just talked to my daughter!"

"She's my daughter, too!"

"Then act like a parent! She's thirteen and she's been abused all her life before we adopted her! She doesn't need you to yell at her when she didn't even do anything wrong!"

"I didn't yell at her, Catherine!"

"But you snapped at her, Steve. In Serenity's mind that's basically the same thing as yelling."

"That's not even what we're talking about! We're talking about you calling me and telling me that you're pregnant!"

"Don't try to distract me from your bad parenting! You're Serenity's father, take some responsibility for what you said to her! Do you understand?"

Back downstairs, Willow and Serenity couldn't hear what their parents were saying, but they could hear they were yelling. Willow cuddled into her older sister's side. "Serenity? Why are Mommy and Daddy yelling? I don't want them to yell. Make them stop. Please, Serenity, make them stop."

Glancing in the direction of the stairs, Serenity placed a comforting arm around Willow's shoulders. "It's okay, Willow. I'm gonna go to tell them to stop, alright?"

Willow nodded, pulling her blanket tighter around herself as she leaned back into the couch.

Serenity stood up and climbed the stairs, heading down the hallway toward her parents' room. "Hey, do you think you could maybe lower your voices? You're scaring Willow out of her mind! She _begged_ me to get you to stop!" she exclaimed angrily. "Do you care what you're doing to her?"

Their heads turning in Serenity's direction, Steve and Catherine both wore guilty looks on their faces immediately. They had allowed their argument to grow out of control.

Glaring at them for a few seconds longer, Serenity stormed back downstairs.

"She's not only talking about Willow," Steve stated. "She's trying to be strong, but it's affecting her, too."

Catherine nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry I told you over the phone."

"Why were you scared to tell me?"

Catherine sighed. "It's stupid, it really is, but I was afraid of your reaction."

Steve looked at her with confusion. "Why would my reaction be bad? Do you think I'd say I didn't want to have another kid?"

Sighing again, Catherine admitted, "Yeah, that's generally what I was thinking. I mean, we already have two kids. I didn't know if you'd think three would be too many."

"Just because we already have two great, amazing kids doesn't mean another one would be too many. Besides, if this kid turns out to be anything like our daughters, we're going to be the luckiest parents in the world with three perfect kids."

The faint traces of a smile appeared on Catherine's face. "Come on, let's go tell them. I think Willow's going to be happy but Serenity's probably going to by upset."

Steve nodding, showing that he agreed.

Before they walked out of their room, Catherine said, "We tell each other everything from now on and not make a stupid decision like I did to tell you something important over the phone." She pulled him down closer to her for a kiss. "Let's go."

They found Serenity doing her homework again. Willow looked up at them when they walked into the room. "Are you done yelling?" she asked, staring at her parents pleadingly.

"Yes, Willow. We're sorry we yelled," Catherine apologized. "And you have something to tell Serenity, don't you, Steve?"

Turning to Serenity, Steve nodded. "Yeah, I do. Serenity, I'm sorry for talking sharply to you earlier. I was mad at the time and taking out my anger was uncalled for. But now your mom and I have something to tell you."

Noticing the looks on the girls' faces, Catherine smiled. "Don't worry, it's good news. You're going to have another sibling!"

Serenity grinned while Willow scowled, the exact opposite reaction that Steve and Catherine had expected. They thought Willow would be excited and Serenity wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of another sibling, but it ended up being the other way around. Willow walked upstairs to her room.

"I'll go talk to her," Steve announced, following his youngest daughter. He caught the door just in time before it slammed.

"Leave me alone!" Willow exclaimed, taking a pillow off her bed (pink, of course, just like everything else in the room) and throwing it at him.

"Willow!"

At Steve's tone, Willow immediately regretted throwing the pillow. "I'm sorry, Daddy." She picked the pillow up and put it back where it belonged. "I didn't mean to throw it."

"Yes you did. Don't lie."

Willow stamped her foot. "Get out of my room! I just wanna be left alone!"

"You need to calm down. Take a deep breath."

"No!" The eight-year-old lifted the pillow once more and again threw it at Steve. "Go away! I hate you! Leave me alone!"

Steve turned Willow around and landed a swat on her bottom.

"Ow!"

"Are you done or do I have to continue?"

"I'm done!"

"Then let's talk about why you're upset."

Willow crossed her arms, a pout on her face. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I just don't wanna, okay?"

Steve sat down on Willow's bed and gently pulled her down beside him. "Why don't you want to have another sibling?"

"'Cause then I won't be the littlest one anymore. Serenity will be the oldest and the new baby will be the littlest and I'll just be in the middle."

"But if you're in the middle you get to be a little sister _and_ a big sister."

"I get to be both?"

Steve nodded. "That's right, honey."

Willow thought about that for a moment. "I think that'll be good."

"So are you happy you're going to be a big sister?"

Smiling, Willow nodded.


	23. The Trouble at School

**I'm going to be posting a new _Hawaii Five-0 _story soon. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing this one, but I hope you'll check out the new story when I post it.**

**Please review!**

The two calls were made right after the other.

Catherine was at work filling out endless paperwork when her phone rang.

"Mrs. McGarrett? This is Mr. Hoapili, dean of students at 'Uhane School."

She put down the pen that was in her hand, growing more alert to the conversation. "Hello, Mr. Hoapili."

"I'm sorry if this is a bad time, but Serenity and Willow are in my office. It would be best if you could come down to the school."

Catherine stood up. "Alright. I'll be there as soon as possible." She put her phone in her pocket and walked out of her office.

Officer Akana was walking by. Kono had recommended Kamani Akana to Catherine for a member of the security unit. They had gone through the Police Academy together. "Kamani! I got a call from my daughters' school. I have to go, but call me if there's an emergency."

Kamani nodded. "I will."

"Thanks. Is David in his office?" Catherine asked, referring to the third member of the team.

"Yes," Kamani replied. Catherine noticed the blush in her face at the mention of Officer Henderson's name. It was obvious that Kamani and David liked each other. They just never acted on their feelings.

"Okay. When he finishes his paperwork, tell him to leave it on my desk."

"Yes, Lieutenant."

Catherine smiled. She knew that as a rookie, Kamani was eager to impress. "You know you can call me Catherine, Kamani."

"Alright. I hope everything goes well for your girls."

"Thank you."

Mary had just finished an appointment when her phone rang.

"Mrs. Williams? This is Mr. Hoapili, dean of students at 'Uhane School."

Uh-oh. That was Grace's school. Was something wrong? "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, of course. Are you able to come down to the school?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Catherine and Mary pulled into the parking lot almost at the same time. They were surprised to see each other.

"Hey, Catherine. Not that I don't want to see you, but I wasn't expecting you to be here."

"I just got a call from the principal. He said Serenity and Willow were in his office."

"He called me to tell me Grace was in his office."

Catherine sighed. "What have they gotten into this time?"

They walked into 'Uhane School where the secretary directed them to see Mr. Hoapili. They found Willow and Grace sitting nervously outside of his office.

Mr. Hoapili walked out of the office. After introductions were made, they went into the office.

"Earlier today, there was an incident in the hallway," Mr. Hoapili began. "Grace and Willow were walking together when Grace dropped her books, causing two students in eighth grade to tease her about this. Willow stood up for Grace and the students also picked on her. Serenity was close by and witnessed the event occurring. She told the boys to back off, but they began to bully her. Serenity shoved them away from her but it only made them bully her more. It grew into a physical fight. Serenity and the two boys are in the nurse's office right now. Mrs. McGarrett, if you follow me I can bring you to see Serenity."

Catherine wasted no time in accepting the offer to see Serenity. She was worried that her daughter would be injured after fighting with the two students.

To say she was surprised when she got to the nurse's office would be an understatement.

Serenity was sitting by the door of the office. The nurse was gently examining a small red area on Serenity's face. Other than that, Serenity looked fine. It was the two boys laying on cots in the back of the room that looked beaten up. One boy had a bruise on his cheek, a bit of blood on his face, and a busted lip. The other boy had a black eye as well as blood on a couple areas of his face. Both boys looked exhausted.

The nurse smiled at Catherine. "Hi, you must be Serenity's mom. I'm Tammy Ross. Your daughter has a slight bruise right here but other than that Serenity is fine."

"Thank you," Catherine said, relief in her voice. She had been worried Serenity would be injured.

Looking over to the boys in the back of the room, Catherine asked, "Are those the students Serenity fought with?"

"Yes," Tammy replied.

"And I assume that's one of the boys' mother with them?"

"Correct. The other boy's mom should be arriving shortly."

Catherine walked over to the woman sitting beside one of the boys. "Ma'am?"

The woman turned to face her.

"I'm Catherine McGarrett. I'm sorry for my daughter's behavior."

Shaking her head, the woman stated, "You should not be apologizing. I'm sorry for the bullying on my son's behalf. I understand that your daughter was just sticking up for the other girls when the bullying started."

When the other boy's mother walked in, the conversation went the same way.

"Alright, Serenity, are you ready to go?" Catherine asked.

Serenity nodded and stood up, grabbing her backpack behind her. "Thank you, Mrs. Ross," she said.

"Anytime, Serenity. I hope the bruise doesn't give you too much pain."

Catherine and Serenity left to go to Mr. Hoapili's office. They went in and sat across from the desk.

"Miss McGarrett, I hope you understand why your actions were wrong," Mr. Hoapili began.

_Oh, man, I'm in so much trouble_, Serenity thought.

"This is only a warning, but if it happens again, your will receive a detention."

Serenity looked at him with surprise. "Really? So I'm not in trouble?"

"There have been multiple reports of the two students you fought with bullying other students. I believe you've put a stop to this." Mr. Hoapili smiled. "They know not to bully anyone with the knowledge that you would stick up for them."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Hoapili," Catherine said.

* * *

"Where did you learn to fight?" Catherine questioned.

"Dad taught me."

Catherine rolled her eyes. Of all things he could do, Steve taught Serenity how to fight. "Of course he did."

That's how Steve and Catherine ended up in the conversation they were currently having.

"She doesn't need to know how to fight."

"All I taught her was self-defense."

"Well that's great, Steve, because she's using all the self-defense you taught her on her classmates."

"They were bullying Willow and Gracie, she had every right to hurt them."

Catherine sighed. "No more teaching her self-defense."


	24. The Gunshot

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!**

The four members of Five-0 approached the house from different sides. Kono banged on the front door. "Five-0, open up!"

They heard footsteps moving quickly towards the back of the house where Chin was standing. A shot rang out before Chin got the chance to fire his weapon.

"Chin!" Kono screamed, running as fast as she could to see her cousin. "No, no, no!" she exclaimed when she saw him laying on the ground with a gunshot wound.

Steve fired at the man who shot Chin. He went down after he was hit with two bullets.

Danny had his phone out, dialing 9-1-1. Chin was still alive, but just barely.

"Chin, can you here me?" Kono asked frantically.

He said something that sounded like "yes," but it was clear he was growing weaker.

"How long until the ambulance gets here?" Worry took over Kono's voice, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. She sobbed, letting her tears take over.

The sound of a siren could soon be heard coming down the street.

"Finally," Kono whispered, wiping her eyes. She watched helplessly as the EMTs lifted Chin onto a stretcher.

* * *

"Where is he?" Lauren asked around her tears as she ran to where Kono, Steve, and Danny were standing.

"He's still in surgery," Kono replied, wiping away her own tears. Danny and Steve walked away, deciding to leave Kono and Lauren alone for a moment.

"You really love Chin, don't you?" Kono's question came suddenly with a very serious tone to it.

"I'm going to tell you something I've haven't told Chin," Lauren began. She decided that what she was going to tell Kono would be the best way to show how moch she loved Chin. "Two guys have proposed to me before Chin."

"You declined to both of them?"

Lauren nodded, her thoughts jumping back to her memories. "The answer to the first proposal was a no-brainer. My high school boyfriend proposed when we were seventeen. I told him I was moving to Hawaii, and to get me to stay in New York he asked me to marry him. I knew he wasn't the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I don't even know why I went out with him in the first place. He got caught up in the wrong crowd. I didn't want to be a part of that."

"I don't blame you," Kono said in understanding.

"The second time was also a no-brainer, but it was harder to say no, and not because of love." Lauren closed her eyes and shook her head, showing how hard this was for her to talk about.

"You don't have to tell me if it hurts you."

"No, I want to tell you. I have to tell someone. I don't want to keep it to myself anymore." She paused for a moment before beginning the story. "It was three years ago. His name was Ethan Warren."

"Ethan Warren. That sounds so familiar."

"You probably heard it on the news. He was found dead two days after he proposed. Ethan seemed nice at first. We were set up on a blind date. I remember thinking he was the one. I thought I could tell after only knowing him for a couple hours. About a month after we started officially dating, Ethan started to drink and do drugs."

"Oh no." Kono could see where this was going.

"He blamed it on work. He said he had been sober for a year and he couldn't take it anymore. There were some nights when he became so drunk that he hit me. I wanted to go leave him so bad, but every time I tried he would suddenly become nice again. I kept telling myself Ethan would get through this. Whatever was going on at work had to end sometime, but it seemed to go on and on. When he proposed, I told him I had to think about it. Thankfully he wasn't drunk at the time, so he accepted it. I ran off. I didn't go back home. I knew he would come there to find me in a drunken rage. I went to see one of my co-workers. She said I could stay with her for as long as I wanted. It only ended up being two days."

"Until Ethan was found dead."

"That's right. It turned out the murderer was a drug dealer who said Ethan didn't pay him."

"I'm so, so, so sorry, Lauren. I can't even imagine what that must have been like to go through."

"I never dated since then. I was so scared I'd have another bad experience, but when I met Chin I knew he was different. I knew I could trust him. I love him so much, Kono. I just want him to be okay. We haven't even set a date for the wedding yet."

"Officer Kalakaua," the doctor Kono had spoken to earlier said as he walked over. "Your cousin got out of surgery a little while ago. He's awake."

"Can we see him?"

"Yes, but only for ten minutes."

They practically ran to the room the doctor directed them to. What was laying in the hospital bed only resembled Chin. It didn't give the clear picture of how he normally was.

"Chin," Kono said, not bothering to wipe away her tears of relief. "You're awake."

"'Course I am." His voice was weak and didn't sound anything like him.

Lauren squeezed his hand. "Chin, it's me."

"Lauren," he said, still no more than a whisper, but that didn't matter right now.

Kono stood up. "I'll be here 24/7 if you need me."

"Don't go, Kono," Lauren said, standing up as well.

Kono shook her head. "You two deserve a moment alone."

"Thank you."

After she glanced once more at Chin, who was awake, Kono left the room full of relief.

"We haven't even set a date yet," Lauren stated, sitting back down. "Chin, I thought you were going to leave me here by myself."

"As soon as I get out of here."

"What do you mean?"

"We'll get married."

Lauren smiled. "I'm thrilled you love me that much, but we haven't planned anything."

"Nothing very fancy. Just on the beach. Casual."

"Okay," Lauren agreed. "As soon as you're out of here."

Chin was clearly becoming tired. "He's heavily sedated," the doctor said, coming into the room. "I'm afraid that's all the visiting for today."

Lauren nodding, rising to her feet. "I'm going to pick out a dress. Everything will be ready by the time you're leaving. I love you, Chin." She made her way to leave, thinking Chin was asleep.

She stopped when she head Chin say, "Lauren?"

Turning around, replied, "Yes?"

"I love you, too."

* * *

"What kind of dress are you looking for?" Catherine inquired.

"Something casual, but still beautiful." Lauren looked through the dresses in front of her. "We're getting married on the beach."

"Any certain style you want?" Mary asked.

Lauren shook her head. "I won't know until I see the perfect dress."

Although she didn't find her dress, the bridesmaid dress was selected. It was bright yellow to go with the beach theme. Lauren, Catherine, Kono, Mary, and Serenity exited the store with Willow and Grace close behind them.

At the second store, Lauren was about to give up when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to face a mannequin. The dress was strapless and slightly longer in the back than the front, trimmed with lace.

"This is my dress."


	25. The Addition

Five days after Chin was released from the hospital, the wedding was scheduled to take place on the beach. Although Lauren was excited now, it did not resemble how she felt during Chin's recovery.

Seeing Chin in the hospital put things in perspective for Lauren. His job was dangerous and anything could happen. For the first time Lauren realized what it would take to be the wife of a police officer. But she loved Chin and was willing to be a cop's wife, no matter how worried she would get.

This was the reason Lauren was glad to be marrying Chin right away. No one knew what could happen during the time it took to plan a big wedding, and Lauren wanted as much time with Chin as possible. The beach was perfect for the wedding.

Lauren and Chin wanted to start a family. Catherine and Steve had two kids and a third on the way. Mary and Danny had two children. Seeing the joy families had made the soon to be husband and wife want to have kids of their own.

On the morning of the wedding, Lauren changed into her dress. When she imagined getting married she always saw herself in a beautiful, fancy gown. The simplicity of what she was wearing did not match what she invisioned, but for some reason Lauren found herself liking the dress better than what she pictured. She didn't need a big wedding. All she needed was the man she loved.

Grace and Willow came running in the room, already wearing their yellow dresses. Serenity, in her dress as well, was chasing after them, being assigned as their babysitter. "Hey, you two, she's changing! Get back over here!"

Lauren smiled. This was what she wanted in the future-her and Chin's kids running around the house.

"It's okay, Serenity. I'm all set," Lauren assured her oldest niece.

"Auntie Lauren, you look beautiful!" Serenity exclaimed.

"Thank you, honey."

"We wanted to see you in your dress!" came Willow's excited voice. "It's really pretty!"

Grace agreed with a nod. "It looks really nice!"

"Thanks, girls. You all look beautiful, too."

It wasn't long before all the bridesmaids (Catherine, Kono, Mary, Grace, Willow, and Serenity) were ready to go. Staring up at the sky as she walked outside, Lauren smiled at the sight of the sun. She had been worried that it would rain today, but the bright sun and the absence of dark clouds kept all worrying away. It proved to be a beautiful day.

The wedding would be taking place at a quiet, remote area of the beach. Chairs were lined up in the sand where the guests (although there were not a lot of them since it was planned at a short notice) were already beginning to take their seats. Everyone in the wedding party took their places.

Andrew began to walk Lauren down the aisle. He recently gave Catherine away to be married, and now he had to do so for his other little girl. Time flew by, that was for certain, and it flew by fast. Andrew now had two grandchildren, the number soon to rise to three. The number would rise more with Lauren's and Chin's plan to start a family.

Lauren felt tears, happy tears, begin to make their way down her face as the wedding progressed. She didn't take her eyes off of Chin, and he did the same. Their love for each other showed how they didn't need the fancy wedding details that were originally planned for. Everything was perfect, from Andrew walking Lauren down the aisle to the time when the vows were being read.

Chin thought Lauren looked beautiful as she made her way down the aisle beside her father. When he had been hospitalized after being shot, Chin realized what was important to him. Lauren was at the top of the list, nothing coming close to her. They had plans to beginning a life together and starting a family. This was the day when it would all start. This was the day they would think back on when they watched their kids grow up, remembering how it all started.

Soon Chin and Lauren were declared husband and wife. At the reception, which was held on the beach as well, the newlyweds kept their focus on each other. They shared a first dance that was filled with everyone trying to control their laughter at the sight of Chin "dancing," if you could call it that. He was a terrible dancer while Lauren swayed beautifully, her hair blowing behind her in the light breeze. She made up for every step that her new husband missed.

Their honeymoon wasn't far, just on another island in Hawaii, but it was enough for Chin and Lauren. It was a little over a week and they didn't have to worry about getting up to go to work. They could finally just relax and enjoy each other's presence.

When they arrived at the hotel they would be staying at during their honeymoon, Lauren took care of checking in while Chin brought in their bags. The woman at the front desk looked up the reservation when Lauren told her the name. Lauren couldn't hold back her smile when the woman said "Mrs. Kelly."

The honeymoon ended too soon for their liking. It wasn't long before they were headed back to Oahu to return to work and find that Kono and Ben were engaged. Their family was growing bigger over time.

They bought a house, one that was perfect to bring kids into.

But Chin and Lauren were soon taken down from their newlywed happiness when after months of trying, Lauren was unable to become pregnant. Their dreams of starting a family fell right in front of them, crumbling to the ground.

Catherine was almost eight and a half months pregnant and on maternity leave when Lauren decided to tell her what was going on her way home from work.

"We've been trying ever since we got married," Lauren began. "I've seen many doctors and I've gotten all the help I can get, but it's just not working."

Catherine couldn't imagine how hard this was for her sister. "You need to keep having faith. It will happen one day. Maybe this is just a way of telling you it's not time to have a baby."

"Why not, Catherine? Why is this a bad time? This is just like any other time. It's not going to happen."

"I have to agree with you if you keep a negative attitude about it."

"I know, I know, I have to stay positive. But we wanted to start a family right away. It's my fault."

"Don't say that, Lauren. It will happen someday, sooner than you think."

At that moment, Serenity came storming downstairs. "Mom, Willow won't stay out of my room!"

Catherine sighed. Serenity, who was now fourteen, had been complaining lately that Willow, who was now nine, would not leave her alone, wanting to be just like her older sister.

Willow came downstairs not long after her sister did. "Mom, Serenity won't let me talk to her!"

Catherine looked at Lauren. "You see? It's more difficult that you'd think!" She turned her attention back to her daughters. "Willow, you have to understand that Serenity wants privacy."

Willow reluctantly agreed.

"And Serenity, I'm sure you can spend a little bit of time with your sister," Catherine added.

Sighing, Serenity replied, "Fine." She went back upstairs first, followed by Willow running after her.

"They remind me of us," Lauren stated. "You followed me around everywhere."

"Yeah, right."

But before they could remember more of their childhood, Catherine said, "I think my water just broke. I need to call Steve."

Lauren grabbed the phone at full speed, handing it to her sister.

"Do you think he's on his way home now?"

Lauren nodded. "Probably. Call him on his cell phone."

Catherine quickly dialed the number. As she did so, she couldn't hold back her worries. "It's two and a half weeks early. Do you think everything is okay?"

"I'm sure everything is fine. Don't worry, Catherine."

Steve answered as soon as his phone started ringing. "Steve, it's time to..." Catherine couldn't finish. She was just hit with a wave of pain.

Lauren took the phone from her hand. "Steve, it's Lauren. Catherine's going into labor."

"I'll be home as soon as I can." Steve hung up, immediately going twice the speed limit to get home faster.


	26. The Brother

**I'm sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. I've been focused on my new _Hawaii Five-0 _story. Please leave your comments!**

"Stay here with your sister," Lauren instructed Serenity when she heard Steve pull into the driveway. "Listen for the phone. I'm going to call you as soon as we get there. Then I'll get someone to pick you both up and bring you to the hospital. Okay?"

"Okay," Serenity confirmed, nodding. She was trying to stay calm, mainly for Willow's sake, but she couldn't help the worried tone that was her voice.

"Hey, it's going to be fine, alright?" Lauren comforted at the sound of her niece's tone.

"But it's early."

"That happens sometimes, but it'll be fine."

Serenity looked her in the eyes, searching for an honest answer. "Are you sure?"

Lauren hesitated before answering, thinking of the right words to say. She sighed. "Your mom and the baby are perfectly healthy. The doctor said so, right, Catherine?" She turned to her sister for verification. At Catherine's nod, Lauren continued, "So everything will be okay. All you have to do is stay here, watch Willow, listen for the phone when I call you, and don't worry. You can do that, Serenity. I know you can."

By now Steve was inside. Without saying anything, he lifted Catherine and carried her back outside. Lauren followed, smiling as she reassured Serenity one last time before leaving.

"Why can't we go?" Willow asked, looking up at her older sister.

"We will go. Auntie Lauren will call us and she'll tell us how we're getting there. It's just going to be crazy right now, so we're staying here while everything gets settled."

"But we _are _going to go, right?"

Serenity nodded. "That's right."

"Good, 'cause I want to see the baby soon."

"So do I, Willow."

After turning on the TV to a kids' show for Willow to watch, Serenity paced, even though Lauren told her not to get worried. She couldn't help it. Being at home while her mom was at the hospital in labor was stressful enough. Add knowing it was two and a half weeks early and the stress level skyrocketed. Serenity stared at the phone, wishing more than anything it would ring and her aunt would tell her everything was okay and that someone was on the way to pick them up.

When it finally did ring, Serenity grabbed the phone quickly, not bothering to check the caller ID. "Hello?"

It was not Lauren calling. "Serenity," a woman's voice said with surprise. "I must admit I was not expecting you to answer, but I consider myself fortunate that you did."

A cold feeling came over Serenity. She was almost positive she knew that voice, yet she still demanded, "Who is this?"

"I can't say I'm not disappointed you don't remember me, Serenity. I mean, I know it's been two years. You're fourteen now, yes? And Willow is nine?"

"I remember you fine," Serenity snapped. "I just wanted to make sure I was right. I want to know what you're calling me for and I want to know now." She glanced over at Willow in the next room to make sure the younger girl couldn't hear any of what was going on. Thankfully, Willow's eyes were practically glued to the television.

The woman sighed. "You're still impatient."

"And you're still a bitch."

"Watch your langauge, Serenity. Catherine and Steve would be very disappointed in you if they heard you say 'bitch.' That's all they are, by the way. Catherine and Steve. They're not Mom and Dad. You already have parents, but apparently that's not good enough for you. Wendy and Devin-"

"They abused Willow and me," Serenity interrupted. "They let us starve."

"Now, now, Serenity, there's no need to be ungrateful."

"Oh, yeah? And what am I to be grateful for?"

"They provided everything you needed."

"They provided everything I needed?" Serenity repeated. "_They provided everything I needed? _Are you absolutely kidding me?"

"Steve and Catherine aren't your parents, Serenity."

Serenity was shaking with anger. "Yes they are!" She remembered Willow was just a room away and made a point to keep her voice quieter when she spoke next. "They love Willow and me and they take care of us! Devin and Wendy never did either of those things! Now I want the reason you called me and if you don't tell me now, I'm hanging up! That's a promise!"

"So impatient," the woman commented.

"I'm hanging up," Serenity stated when she wasn't given a reason right away.

"Wait! I called to warn you."

"Warn me?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm warning you to be careful and to stay alert. You never know who's out there, looking to take you away."

"Are you threatening to kidnap me?"

The smile in the woman's voice was evident. "Don't jump to conclusions, Serenity."

"Looks like I just did." On that note, Serenity hung up the phone. All she wanted to do was curl up and cry. She thought her past was behind her, but it was coming back to haunt her. But she had to stay strong. Willow couldn't know what was going on. That was the last thing a nine-year-old needed.

When the phone ran again about five minutes later, Serenity had somewhat calmed down. She checked the caller ID this time and was relieved to see Lauren's cell phone number appear. "Auntie Lauren?"

"Hey, sweetie. Chin's on his way to pick you and Willow up. I'll see you at the hospital soon."

Not much time passed between the phone call and when Chin pulled in the driveway. After grabbing Willow's iPod, Serenity lead the way outside.

"Willow, put your headphones in and turn on some music," Serenity instructed, turning around to hand Willow her iPod in the backseat. Her sister did as she was told.

"I need to talk to you about something, Uncle Chin, but you have to promise not to tell my dad."

Chin sighed. "Serenity, if it's anything dangerous, he needs to know immediately."

"There's enough going on with the baby. In a few days I'll tell him."

"Alright. But you _will_ eventually tell him, right?"

Serenity nodded. "I will. Okay, so I just got a call from Meredith Townsend. She was an associate of Wendy and Devin Payne."

"What did she want?" Chin asked, paying closer attention at the mention of Wendy and Devin Payne, Willow and Serenity's biological parents.

"She told be to be alert. She basically threatened to kidnap me. When I asked if that's what she was doing, she told me not to jump to conclusions. But I could tell, Uncle Chin. There's something going on."

"When did she call you?"

Serenity shrugged. "Not long ago, just a few minutes before Auntie Lauren called."

"Has she ever contacted you before?"

Serenity shook her head. "I haven't heard anything about her in two years."

"What else did she say?"

"She told me I was ungrateful to Devin and Wendy. Then she said Mom and Dad aren't my parents. I told her they love and take care of Willow and me but now..." Serenity wiped her eyes, feeling tears coming. "Now she has me questioning everything."

"Your mom and dad love you very much, Serenity," Chin assured her. "Don't listen to anything she says."

Serenity nodded, but didn't say anything else. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. Too many bad memories of living with Wendy and Devin resurfaced.

* * *

"Are you sure this is normal?"

Steve's question went unanswered as Catherine yelled, "You son of a bitch! You're supposed to be supporting me!"

"I _am _supporting you," Steve replied, taking Catherine's hand in his own.

"Really? You are? Because asking if this is normal for the billionth time really shows support, I agree with you, Steve." Her tone was sarcastic.

"Your wife is fine," the doctor reassured Steve. "This is one of the reactions women can have when they are in labor."

"A _reasonable_ reaction, let me just point out!" Catherine exclaimed.

* * *

Hours had passed and Catherine became herself again. She did it. The baby was born. A boy.

She held him in her arms, sending a smile to Steve. He was sitting on beside the bed, his hand on top of Catherine's left arm.

"Did we ever finally decide on his name?" Steve asked. They had talked about names several times before but never actually chose one.

"His name is John, after your father," Catherine said without hesitation.

Steve looked back at their son. He considered this, too, and now Catherine showed that she had the same thought.

"But he has to have some of you in him," Catherine stated. "His middle name is Steven. John Steven McGarrett." Her smile grew. "Our son. And the only things missing from this moment are our daughters."

"I'll go get them." Steve stood, grinning at Catherine one last time before leaving to get the girls.

As soon as Steve entered the waiting room to get Willow and Serenity, he was attached by none other than his nine-year-old daughter. "Is the baby here yet?"

"Calm down, Willow," Serenity instructed. "We'll find out soon."

"Serenity, Willow, come with me. Let's go see your new brother."

"Not that I'm not happy, but boys can get annoying at school. I don't like that," Willow said. "We need to make sure this one is different."

"Hey, wait. I'm a boy. You don't like me?" Steve asked with a teasing tone.

Willow sighed. Honestly, Daddy could be stupid sometimes. "Of course I like you. You're my daddy. I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, Willow."

"Now can we go see the baby?"

"Yeah, let's go." Steve held Willow's hand while extending his other hand to Serenity.

"I'm fourteen, Daddy."

"But you're still my little girl, just like your sister, and you always will be, so you can hold my hand."

"Fine." With a sigh, Serenity gave in. She took the offered hand. It was true-she and Willow would always be Daddy's little girls, even if Serenity was fourteen.


	27. The Flashbacks

**There's a lot more drama in this chapter compared to the other parts of the story. Please tell me what you think!**

"Hey, did Serenity talk to you about a call she got from Meredith Townsend?" Chin asked Steve as they were getting ready to leave headquarters for the day.

Steve shook his head, but still paid close attention since this concerned his daughter. "No. Who's Meredith Townsend?"

"I should've said something earlier," Chin stated, his voice a bit regretful. It had been a week since John was born, a week since Serenity had received a phone call from an associate of her biological parents. She said she was going to tell Steve about it after the baby was born, but she still hadn't done so. "Serenity told me Meredith worked with Devin and Wendy Payne. She said she would tell you after John was born, but..."

"But she didn't." Steve suddenly felt like he was going to pass out. He worked so hard getting Serenity and Willow away from their past, did everything he could to make sure his daughters were safe. Now he felt as if his efforts were for nothing. It turned out someone who worked with Wendy and Devin was still out there, wanting to cause harm to the girls. "She never said anything." Steve felt like he was going to be sick. Why would Serenity keep this from him? Did she not trust him or did she just want to find her own way to handle it? Neither thing was good. "I have to get home. I have to talk to Serenity."

Danny would have ranted for a week if he had seen Steve driving home. He went over the speed limit and broke countless rules of the road. But he wasn't paying attention to that. He focused on getting home as fast as possible.

Serenity was downstairs with Willow and Catherine, who was holding John. "Serenity. We need to talk."

Serenity didn't dare argue. She knew that tone, and it usually meant she was in trouble. She followed him upstairs to her room.

"Who's Meredith Townsend?"

The question made Serenity tense. How did he know about that? There was only one explanation. "Did Uncle Chin tell you?"

"Yeah, but I hear that you said you'd tell me. Who's Meredith Townsend? Tell me the truth, Serenity."

Serenity shrugged, thinking of a way to get out of this. "One of my friends at school."

"Oh, really?"

Serenity nodded. "Yes, Dad, really."

"Well that's interesting, because I didn't know you were friends with, let alone in contact with, an associate of Wendy and Devin Payne. Guess I need to start doing a better job of paying attention to who you're friends with."

"She called me once," Serenity admitted quietly, now knowing there was no way out of this.

"So you didn't think it was important enough to tell me? What were you going to do, Serenity?"

"I don't know, Dad. I was going to ignore it, but if she called again, I definitely would have told you."

Steve sighed as he sat on the bed beside her. "You should have told me immediately. Why didn't you?"

"I didn't want to have to think about it anymore. It's been two years and I still have nightmares. There are times when I look in the mirror and see nothing but a little girl with bruises covering her body. That was me years ago. Sometimes I get up during the night to make sure Willow's okay and they didn't beat her, and then I remember we're safe now. This isn't supposed to be still happening two years later!" She was having flashbacks now and she couldn't keep her mind in the present.

Steve's voice softened from earlier when he said, "Sweetheart, why didn't you say things were this bad?" He reached to put his arms around his daughter, but Serenity's bloodcurdling scream immediately made him stop.

"_Don't touch me!_"

Serenity threw herself from the bed and into the corner of the room, her arms around her knees, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at Steve. "Please don't hurt me." Tears started to fall down her cheeks. "Please, I promise I'll be good. Just don't hurt me, please!" In that moment, as Serenity cried in the corner of her room, she couldn't tell that it was Steve walking towards her, not Devin.

By now, Willow and Catherine, with John in her arms, were standing in the doorway. They heard Serenity's scream and came upstairs as fast as possible.

"Steve, what happened?" Catherine asked frantically. When they saw Serenity in the corner of the room farthest from where they were standing, Willow and Catherine began to walk closer.

"Wait!" Steve held up a hand to stop them. "She doesn't know where she is." He slowly began walking towards Serenity again.

"Please. I didn't meant to do it. I'm sorry."

"It's Daddy, Serenity. I'm not going to hurt you." Steve kept his voice as gentle as possible. He crouched down in front of his daughter.

Serenity started to realize she wasn't where she thought she was. She realized it wasn't Devin Payne in front of her.

"Daddy?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm right here, honey."

Now Serenity was back in the present. She knew where she was. She flung herself into Steve's arms. "Daddy, don't leave me!"

Steve stood up with Serenity in his arms. "I'm right here, Serenity. You're okay. You're safe." He sat on the bed, Serenity on his lap as he wiped her tears.

"I don't know what happened," Serenity said, leaning her head back against Steve. "Suddenly I just felt like I was somewhere else."

"Do you have everything under control?" Catherine asked Steve. At his nod, she said, "Willow, let's go back downstairs so Daddy can talk to Serenity."

"Okay, Mom."

"Who's Meredith Townsend?"

"She's Devin's sister. Her husband's name is Eric. Devin, Wendy, Meredith, and Eric set up business here and a lot of it was done illegally. The Payne's killed anyone who came close to finding that out. I'm not sure if Meredith or Eric ever killed anyone, but they're definitely accomplices."

But Steve knew his daughter and he realized this wasn't the end of the story. "There's something else you're not telling me."

New tears threatened to spill from Serenity's eyes as she pulled her shirt just past her stomach to reveal a scar that, though it had faded a bit, was still present from when she first met Steve two years ago. "She did this."

Again Steve feels like he's going to be sick. It's this moment when he vows to find Meredith and Eric Towsend, no matter what it takes to do that.

* * *

After Serenity's explanation, the McGarrett house became headquartes for finding Meredith and Eric Townsend. Papers were spread across all surfaces, pictures scattered over them, most of the rooms downstairs containing something related to the case. The whole family was there, offering help and support.

"Eric Townsend served six months in prison. He got out three weeks ago," Kono stated as she looked at Eric's record. "He's been charged with a lot in the past but always managed to get out of it. His wife was on probation at the same time."

"Who was the probation officer?" Mary asked.

"Ashley Keloa."

"I just met her. She used to be an adult probation officer. Now she's a juvenile probation officer, like me. I'll talk to her and ask what she knows about Meredith."

They reviewed more on the case, taking a look at every possible angle. It was late, the night sky already showing, and they were still working. No one had any plans of leaving until there was a lead.

Willow and Grace, best friends and practically inseperable, were excited to be having a sleepover. Serenity even said she'd stay in Willow's room with them, something the younger girls were happy about. Serenity was a teenager, so that automatically made her cool in their minds.

Serenity became more and more curious as to what was being discussed downstairs. She was fourteen and she was part of the case, after all, so she should be allowed to participate in finding the Townsend's.

_Yeah, because Mom and Dad will really see it like that_, Serenity thought sarcastically. _Especially after the meltdown I had. Stupid flashbacks!_

But she didn't let that stop her. Serenity quietly made her was downstairs, telling Grace and Willow she'd be back soon.

"Meredith and Eric live in an apartment in Waikiki, but the landlord says it's been a week since they were seen there," Steve explained, recalling the details of the conversation he had with the landlord earlier. "That was the same time Meredith called Serenity."

"Hold on a minute," Catherine said, thinking she heard someone coming downstairs. She glanced over and sure enough, Serenity was standing there. "Go back upstairs, sweetie. It's late."

"Come on, Mom! I'm involved in this whole thing and I want to help!"

Steve sighed. "Serenity, you need to go to sleep. We'll talk about the case in the morning." But Serenity ignored his words and continued to argue about why she had to help right now.

Grace and Willow eventually came downstairs to see what was taking Serenity so long. Unfortunately for Willow, the poor girl, she happen to walk over to where a picture of Devin and Wendy Payne rested on top of the kitchen table.

Willow screamed.


	28. The Road to Recovery

Willow screamed.

"Serenity, it's them!" she yelled, covering her eyes. "I thought they were gone! Why are they back?"

Just like her sister had, Willow was having flashbacks. One look at the picture had sent her back years ago.

_"You ungrateful little brat!"_

_"You're nothing but trouble!"_

_Throwing her against the wall._

_Slapping her across the face._

_Laughing when she cried at the pain they inflicted._

"I can't take it! Please, leave me alone!" Willow pleaded. "I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"

Steve acted the same way he had earlier when Serenity was the one having flashbacks. It worked before, so hopefully it would work again. "Willow, it's Daddy.

"Daddy, don't hurt me, please!"

"I would never hurt you, Willow."

"Yes you would!" Willow had no idea who was actually talking to her. She slipped further into the flashback than Serenity had and was completely unaware of her surroundings. She cautiously opened her eyes, flinching back when she saw the man in front of her reach out until she realized he wasn't going to hit her, but put his arms around her. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Willow, it's Daddy."

Willow shook her head. "No, you're not. Daddy's bad and you're nice. You're not hitting me." She looked around, not recognizing any of the people there except for her sister. "Serenity, where are we?"

"We're home, Willow, what do you mean?"

"Home? Mommy and Daddy are here?" she asked nervously.

"We're right here, honey," Catherine said, slowly moving closer.

"No, you're not them. They're mean and you're nice but I don't know you."

"You don't remember anything, Willow?" Serenity questioned, knowing Willow would trust her more than anyone seeing as she couldn't remember who anybody else was.

"Meredith just left, right? You just got home from school and she pulled your backpack off and she hit your tummy with it and now you're hurt."

Steve's hands clenched into fists when he heard the details of how Serenity got the scar on her stomach.

"It's no big deal, Dad," Serenity said, shaking her head.

"It's a pretty big deal, Serenity. She hurt you two years ago and you still have a scar. She must have hit you pretty hard."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not!" Willow exclaimed, shaking her head. "She hit you, Serenity!"

"Two years ago. It's over now. We're-"

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't lie!"

"She's not lying, Willow," Steve tried to explain. "You're safe now."

"Are you sure?" Some things were starting to come back to her. The faces of everyone around her looked familiar. She couldn't place a name to a face, but she knew she'd seen them before.

"I'm sure."

Willow began to recall something that happened more recently. She remembered the man in front of her carrying her out of her parents' house. She remembered his promise to keep her safe. She remembered more happy things, good memories, all from the past two years.

Suddenly it hit her. She was back in the present, but her memories were still unclear. "I know you," she said slowly, then looked to her sister for verification. When Serenity nodded, Willow continued while looking at Catherine, "And you, too. I know both of you."

She was silent as she tried to remember more things.

"I know you," Willow said again, turning in Steve's arms to look up at him. "I remember you. You found me under the bed where I was hiding and then you carried me out of the house." New tears fell down her face as she recalled this memory. "And then we went somewhere." She looked around at her surroundings. "We came here, you, me, and Serenity. And then you were here after." She turned her gaze to find Catherine. "You were already here," Willow stated, looking at Mary. "I saw you at my parents' house," she told Danny, Chin, and Kono, thinking back to when she saw them standing in front of the house as her someone carried her...as her daddy carried her.

"I know!" Willow exclaimed. "Daddy, I remember!"

Steve sighed, relieved, and hugged Willow closer to him. "I'm so glad, sweetheart."

Willow looked at Catherine, who had tears present on her face. "Mommy, why are you sad?"

Catherine felt the same way as Steve, allayed now that Willow was back in the present. "I'm not sad, baby. I'm so happy you're okay."

Everyone started to clear out of the room, giving for them privacy for a family moment. Kono walked over and gently took John from Catherine's arms.

"Oh, Kono, thank you, but you don't have to-"

"You need some time with them alone," Kono said softly. She knew Serenity and Willow had just relived a horrible part of their lives and they need their parents' attention now more than ever.

"Thank you for understanding," Catherine said.

Kono smiled. "I'm here whenever you need me. And he'll be fine with me."

Catherine nodded, returning the smile. "I know."

* * *

Chin could see right through the walls his wife had put up around herself. Lauren acted like the strong woman she was, but she was hurting.

"You don't have to be strong right now," Chin stated as they were driving home. "You don't have to keep what you're feeling a secret from me."

Lauren hesitated in responding. She was so used to saying a quick, "Oh, it's nothing, I'm fine," and disregarding the whole situation. Now she knew it was time to talk about, to really talk about how she felt.

"I can't give you that," Lauren spoke quietly. "I can't give you what we just saw. I can't give you a...a family."

"You don't know that, Lauren-"

"No." Lauren was firm. "We've tried and I can't give you a family. Just seeing Catherine there..." She shook her head. "I shouldn't be thinking like this. But seeing my sister there, with her three kids, I just...Do you think it's wrong to feel jealous?"

"Of your sister?"

"When I first saw John when we went to the hospital, seeing Catherine holding him, after she already had two daughters, I-I felt jealous. Like I wanted what Catherine had. A family. I was angry at my own sister for having a family, Chin. I was mad at her for being a mother and I'm ashamed I felt that way."

Chin didn't know how to answer this. He carefully thought out his words, trying to decide what was best to say in this situation. "It'll happen, Lauren. Someday, it'll happen, and that day will come before we know it. Before we're even ready for it."

"What if it never does? And don't tell me it will because there is a really strong possibility it won't happen. What do we do then, Chin? We both want a family."

"We'll figure something out."

Lauren didn't question him further. Chin always had solutions to problems. He could solve this, too.

* * *

After everyone had left, Catherine sat on the couch in the living room with her daughters on either side of her. Steve came downstairs after putting his son in his crib and sat across from his wife and daughters.

"Are you mad at me for not remembering you?" Willow asked quietly, like she was afraid to voice her question.

"Not at all," Steve replied. "We shouldn't have left the pictures around. It wasn't your fault."

Willow nodded and looked up at Catherine. "Are you mad at me, Mom?"

"Of course not, Willow. Everything your daddy said was true. This wasn't your fault."

Willow nodded, appearing to be relieved to know her parents weren't mad at her. She was so worried they'd be upset she didn't remember them.

Steve looked at Catherine, their eyes locking as he silently asked the question they had discussed earlier. Catherine nodded to explain this was the time to tell the girls.

"Your mom and I were talking earlier. We feel awful when we see the two of you suffering like this." Steve locked eyes with Catherine again. They both knew the girls were not going to like what he was going to say. He continued, "So we think it would be good for you to be able to tell someone how you feel about-"

"Hold it right there!" Serenity interjected, knowing where this was going. "If you're going to say we should talk to a shrink about this, don't waste you breath." She stood up and started to walk away.

"Serenity." Steve's voice was firm, was stern, but he didn't raise his voice. He couldn't bring himself to do that after what the girls had just went through.

Serenity stopped walking but didn't turn around. She kept her gaze focused on the stairs, ready to dash up to her room if her parents continued to talk about this nonsense that she wanted no part of, absolutely _no part of it_.

"Look, if Willow agrees to talk to someone, that's great. Good for her. She won't be messed up. But I'm making my own decision. It's too late for me, anyway. I'm already messed up."

She began to walk towards the stairs again.

"Serenity," Steve repeated his earlier command, his tone stricter than before, but he still didn't raise his voice. "Sit down. Now."

Serenity turned around to face her dad and considered her options. She could do what she was told and be forced to listen to what she was sure were countless reasons as to why she should talk to someone. Her other option was to continue on her way upstairs. That would not go over big, so she chose option one.

Sighing, Serenity returned to her seat on the couch beside her mom. "It doesn't matter what you say. I'm not talking to anyone."

"You're going to listen to everything we're going to tell you. We're keeping in mind what's best for you. So while we talk, you're not going to interrupt. If you want to say something, save it until the end. Do you understand?" Catherine questioned, looking pointedly at her oldest daughter.

Serenity nodded, knowing better than to argue. "Yes."

"We think it would be good for both of you to talk to someone about this," Steve said, continuing what he started to explain before.

"We want you to be happy and not be held back by things that have happened to you," Catherine stated. "We would never have you do anything that wasn't good for you. We're keeping your best interests in mind. We think this is the best thing to do."

"Talking to someone about how you feel does not make you weak." Steve directed his words at Serenity, knowing that was how she felt.

Serenity stood up. "Can I think about this in my room?"

"Go ahead." Catherine reached for Serenity's hand, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "We'll be up to talk to you soon."

Willow waited until Serenity was gone to speak up. She wanted to talk to her parents alone. She thought it would be embarrassing to say something while Serenity was still there. Not that she didn't trust her sister, because she did, but she really wanted to talk to her mom and dad alone.

"I'm not sure if I want to talk to someone," Willow said quietly, looking down.

"Why not?" Catherine asked, keeping her voice gentle.

"'Cause I'm a little bit scared," Willow admitted. "Who would I talk to?"

"A psychiatrist. That's a special kind of doctor who helps you when your mind isn't feeling good," Catherine explained.

"So no shots, right?"

"No shots, Willow," Steve assured her. "Do you remember when we went to see Dr. Harrington a while ago?"

"I think so. That was when Serenity and I just came to live here. Are we going to see him again?"

Steve nodded. "You won't have to go in by yourself it you don't want to."

"You'll come in with me?"

When her parents confirmed this, Willow said, "Okay. I'll go."

Now Steve and Catherine had to talk to Serenity. That wouldn't be easy.


	29. The Call

Serenity was sitting on her bed, music blasting through headphones in her ears when her parents came in her room. She paused the song she was listening to and pulled her headphones out, placing her iPod on her nightstand.

"I don't understand how you can listen to music so loudly," Catherine said as she sat beside her daughter on the bed. "But that's not what we came to talk about."

Serenity sighed. "I know. You came to explain that I'm mental and I need to see a shrink."

"Lose the attitude, Serenity." Steve put his hands on the edge of the bed and leaned down to make eye contact with her.

"I don't want to talk to someone about how I feel and you can't force me!" Serenity reached for her iPod again but Catherine placed a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Please, Serenity, you're making this take longer than it needs to be."

"I don't want to talk about this, Mom. There's nothing wrong with me and I'm not talking to someone about my feelings."

"I believe I told you to lose the attitude," Steve warned sternly. In a softer tone he continued, "Of course there's nothing wrong with you. You've gone through a lot and we think you need some help getting through it."

Serenity shook her head. "You can try to convince me all you want but I'm not going."

"We just want you to be happy, Serenity, and right now, you're scared. That's understandable. Talking to Dr. Harrington will help you." Catherine tried to convince her that this was a good thing, but it wasn't easy.

"I just...don't think I need to talk to anyone. I can handle things on my own."

"Oh, really? Because last night your mother and I could hear you talking in your sleep."

"I don't talk in my sleep. You must've heard Willow and thought it was me."

"Since when does Willow's voice sound exactly like yours?"

"Just let it go!"

"No, Serenity, we're not going to just let it go! I've said this before, but I'm going to say it again. Do you have any idea how much it hurts me to see you in any kind of pain? Do you have any idea at all?" Steve had raised his voice without realizing it, and instantly was angry with himself for doing so when he saw Serenity flinch.

Because of Meredith's recent call, Serenity started to remember the abuse from Devin and Wendy Payne more often than she normally did, which meant it didn't take much to scare her, something that Steve had accidentally done by raising his voice.

Catherine sent him a what-did-you-just-do face and immediately reached out for their daughter. Serenity leaned into her mom's arms while looking fearfully at her dad. Suddenly she became the little girl that was scared of her own parents, the girl she had to be when living with Wendy and Devin. "I'm sorry. I'll talk to a psychiatrist. I didn't mean to be bad."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Steve began, moving to sit beside his wife and oldest daughter, but Serenity cowered back into Catherine's arms. Steve felt like he had been stabbed, like he couldn't breathe. His daughter was afraid of him. He had scared her so much just by accidentally raising his voice. He needed to pay more attention to things like that, things that might scare Serenity and Willow. "I'm sorry for scaring you, Serenity."

She didn't say anything, just stared back at him with fear in her eyes. Slowly the fear started to fade and was replaced by the pain of a girl with an awful past. Serenity flew into Steve's arms, still not saying anything. She just wanted her dad to hold her and so what if she was fourteen?

Catherine stood up and said, "I'm going to go check on your sister. You stay here with your dad, okay?"

Serenity nodded, the look of pain still in her eyes, breaking her parents' hearts. Their daughter was in pain and they couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't an injury that could be treated right away. No, this was emotional stress that had taken over Serenity.

Catherine left, going to her younger daughter's room. She smiled when she found Willow sleeping, changed into her pajamas but laying backwards on the bed. She gently turned Willow around, careful not to wake her up, and pulled the blanket over her.

Willow looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. That's what she deserved, not the hell she was reliving. Catherine kissed her daughter's forehead before leaving.

Back in Serenity's room, the silence remained. Serenity just needed to be held by her daddy and again, who cares if she's fourteen?

"I'll talk to Dr. Harrington," Serenity stated, breaking the silence.

Steve nodded, never letting Serenity move from his arms. "I'm so sorry for scaring you, honey. I didn't realize what I was doing."

Serenity stared up at him again, the pain still in her eyes, the pain her father wanted to take away right now more than anything. "If I wasn't such a wimp, everything would be fine."

Steve wanted to punch the wall. Devin and Wendy drilled into their daughters' heads that they were wimps, that they couldn't handle anything because they were weak. Every time this was brought up Steve became angry and he felt like he needed to punch the wall.

Seeing the look on her father's face, Serenity quickly said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad."

"You didn't make me mad, Serenity. I'm mad at the Payne's for treating you like they did. Sweetheart, you're not a wimp. Never think that."

Slowly Serenity nodded, but a blank look still remained in her eyes.

* * *

The first session with Dr. Harrington didn't go too bad, Serenity had to admit. Her parents were with her so she felt comfortable, but at the next appointment she'd have to go in by herself.

It hurt to talk about the things that were bothering her, but in the end Serenity was glad she got everything off her chest. Willow was, too. Both girls looked relieved after they shared what ghosts from their past were still haunting them.

Everything was fine until they arrived back at home when the phone rang and Catherine answered it. "Hello?"

"How unfortunate. I was hoping Willow or Serenity would answer."

A look of confusion took over Catherine's face when she didn't recognize the voice. Whoever was calling knew who they were. Why didn't Catherine know the person? "Who is this?"

Steve could tell by Catherine's tone that the conversation wasn't something Serenity and Willow should overhear. He suggested they could go in their rooms and he'd come get them when the call was over. They reluctantly went upstairs, knowing something was going on with the phone call, but their father's firm tone told them it was probably best to listen to him. The girls went in Serenity's room, waiting to hear what was happening.

The woman ignored the question and said, "If I were you, I'd keep a closer eye on your daughters."

"Answer my question," Catherine, who was getting annoyed, snapped.

"I called Serenity a couple weeks ago. That's all you need to know." Then she hung up.

Catherine stared at the phone in her hand for a moment before she put it back. She looked up at her husband. "That was Meredith Townsend."


	30. The Intruder

"This is getting ridiculous," Serenity proclaimed as she finished her English homework.

"What, are your teachers giving you more work or something?" Steve asked, looking at the pile of books in front of his daughter. Serenity was in her freshman year of high school (yeah, his little girl was in high school already) and there had been an increase in homework since eighth grade.

"No, _you're _getting ridiculous," Serenity corrected, shaking her head and adding a roll of her eyes for emphasis.

Steve looked confused. "Me? How am I getting ridiculous, Serenity?"

"You're being so paranoid, Dad."

"How am I being paranoid?"

Serenity sent him a look that basically asked if he was serious. "You don't know how you're being paranoid? Are you kidding me? You're watching me do my homework!"

"Until we find Meredith and Rick, I'm doing everything I can to make sure you're safe," Steve explained.

"Dad, I really don't think they're going to try to kidnap me when I'm within a ten mile radius of a Navy SEAL! Go watch Willow."

"She's with your mom."

Serenity sighed. "Like I said, this is getting ridiculous."

Suddenly the sound of crying reached their ears.

"John's awake. Go make sure he's okay." When Steve made no move to leave, Serenity said, "Go!"

"I'm the parent here. I don't have to listen to you."

"Johnny's crying! Go make sure he's okay!"

Steve rose to his feet. "I'll be right back." He turned to leave.

"I'm sure you will be," Serenity muttered as she opened her algebra textbook.

True to his word, Steve was back not even a minute later with John in his arms. "I'm back," he announced.

"I can see that. Look, can you at least find something to do so you don't distract me?"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"Yeah, and you're not taking the hint. Oh, wait. Maybe you can help me with my homework."

"So whenever you need anything, you can talk to me. But when we're in public, you can't be seen with me?"

"Because it's so embarrassing to be seen with your parents in public!" Serenity exclaimed, her tone trying to tell her dad that what she was saying was obvious.

"I thought I was a cool dad."

Serenity shook her head. "I don't know where you came up with that. Anyway, how am I supposed to graph absolute value inequalities?" She turned the textbook so her dad could see it.

Steve stared blankly at the first problem on the page. "I can't think of a time you're going to use this is real life."

"This is so pointless!"

"Hold on." Steve thought he heard something from outside. He listened for another minute, but he couldn't hear anything else. _Serenity's right. I'm being paranoid_. "Never mind."

"So can you write a note saying I didn't understand-" Serenity stopped in the middle of the sentence. She could've sworn she heard something from outside. "Did you hear that?"

It didn't take long until Catherine was running upstairs to Serenity's room, Willow right behind her. "Tell me I'm not hearing things."

Steve handed John to Catherine and pushed the blinds away to look out the window. At first he only saw a shadow, but soon the person casting the shadow could be seen. Aa man had a cell phone pressed against his ear; what they all heard must have been the phone ringing.

"I'll be back soon. Stay here," Steve said, quickly exiting the room. He stopped to pick up his gun before heading outside.

Steve stepped outside, slowly walking to where he saw the man. Soon he could hear a voice, someone talking on the phone.

"I already told you, Meredith...I should be able to grab them...probably ten minutes...I'll see you soon."

The voice stopped, meaning the conversation was over. Steve continued to walk towards the area where the voice had been coming from. It didn't take long before he could see the back of the man.

"Turn around. Slowly," he demanded in a low voice.

The man only stopped to look over his shoulder before he began to run. Steve immediately took off after him until he had him cornered at the back of the house.

"You're Rick Townsend," Steve concluded, recognizing him from the investigation Five-0 was conducting on the Townsends. "What are you doing here?" Right now Steve was a father first, cop second.

Rick had a knife in his hand. He started to run forward with the blade in Steve's direction.

Steve's training kicked in as he grabbed Rick's arm twisted it back, taking the knife from his hand. "I asked you a question. What are you doing here?" he asked slowly.

"Give me the girls," Rick said as he struggled to free himself, but it was no use against the SEAL. "Then I'll leave."

Steve laughed, though there was hardly any humor. "You really think I'm going to let you take my daughters? Where did you get that idea from?"

"They're not yours!" Rick exclaimed angrily. "They're Devin and Wendy's kids-"

"No, they're not," Steve interrupted as he slammed Rick against the ground and held his hands behind his back.

Meanwhile, everyone inside could hear the sound of yelling coming from outside. Catherine handed John to Serenity and instructed the girls to stay where they were. She quickly went downstairs so she could see more clearly from the window facing the back of the house. As soon as she saw Steve holding the intruder against the ground, Catherine picked up the phone and called for HPD back up.

"Why are the police coming?" Willow asked timidly a few minutes later when the sound of a siren could be heard coming down the street.

"Dad caught the bad guy and they need to take him to the station," Serenity explained in child-friendly terms.

"Daddy caught him? So the bad guy can't hurt us?"

Serenity nodded. "Yeah."

Willow was silent for a moment, clearly thinking something over. A worried look came over her face.

"Is something wrong?" Serenity asked, looking at her little sister with concern.

Willow turned to face her with nervous eyes. "Do you think...do you think it was Rick?" She whispered the last part as if she was afraid to say this.

Serenity shrugged. She considered that possibilty, and it most likely was the truth. "I'm not sure, Willow." She realized that if it was Rick, he had found out where they lived. That meant Meredith didn't just have their phone number and she didn't just know who her parents were. Meredith and Rick knew where they lived.

For the first time, Serenity realized just how much danger she and her sister actually were in.


	31. The Capture

The Five-0 team, as well as Catherine, worked in shifts to make sure Willow and Serenity were protected at all times. The team was following up on every possible lead they could find on Meredith Townsend. It seemed like she had vanished; they spent so much time searching but couldn't find anything.

"Thank you again, Kono," Catherine said for what seemed to be the hundreth time one Saturday morning. Her own team was conducting a search on Meredith Townsend as well and she was going to see if they found anything.

"Anytime," Kono replied. "Is John sleeping?"

Catherine nodded as she picked up her keys. "Yeah, he just fell asleep. Bye, girls."

"Bye, Mom," Serenity and Willow said at the same time.

With one last worried glance at her daughters, Catherine turned to leave.

About fifteen minutes later, Kono started to get the feeling like she was being watched. She shook it off at first, figuring it was just herself stressing over this situation as well as her and Ben's upcoming wedding. But as the seconds passed, turning into minutes, and the feeling still didn't go away, she started to take it seriously.

Rising to her feet, Kono walked around the house, looking out all the windows. She checked on John who was still sleeping and then the girls. Serenity was using her laptop and Willow was drawing.

Kono sat back down in front of her own laptop, picking up where she left off on a case report she was working on. There was nothing wrong. _Get it together, Kalakaua_, she told herself. But the feeling wasn't going away. She must be going crazy. That had to be it.

* * *

Catherine couldn't help worrying. Something was wrong but she didn't exactly know what. She was just...worried.

She picked up her cell phone and quickly dialed a number. She smiled when her husband answered.

"Hey, Cath."

"Steve, I have a bad feeling. I'm worried about the girls."

"Me, too. With everything going on-"

"No," Catherine interjected. "Well, yes, with everything going on, of course I'm worried. But I mean _right now_. Like at the moment. I have a bad feeling. I want to check on them, make sure they're okay..." She trailed off at the end, realizing how ridiculous she sounded. She just said they should check on the girls because she had a bad feeling. _How stupid_, she thought, rolling her eyes at herself. "You know what? That's ridiculous. I don't know if anything's wrong. I'm probably worrying over nothing."

"No, you're right. You never know what's happening. But Kono would've called if something was wrong," Steve tried to assure his wife, but he couldn't help sharing the same feeling.

"But what if she can't?"

They were silent for a moment before Steve said, "I think we should check on them. We need to make sure everthing's alright."

Catherine sighed, relieved that she and Steve were going to make sure their daughter were okay. She was never this paranoid before becoming a mother.

* * *

The bad feeling wouldn't go away. Finally Kono decided to look further into it. "Girls," she began, looking in their direction. "Go in the basement, okay? I'll be right back."

Serenity and Willow made their way to the door leading to the basement. Serenity made sure her younger sister was downstairs before she turned to look at Kono. "What's going on? I'm fourteen. You can tell me the truth, Auntie Kono."

Kono debated whether or not to tell Serenity about what her sixth sense, so to speak, was telling her since it could turn out to be nothing. If that was the case, Serenity would be worried for nothing. But the girl was fourteen, after all. "I don't know. I just have a bad feeling."

Serenity nodded in understanding, starting to sense the feeling as well. Something wasn't right.

"Go with your sister, sweetie," Kono said with what she tried to make a reassuring smile. She wasn't sure exactly how reassuring she was able to be at the given time.

Serenity smiled back with a hint of worry spreading over her face. She walked downstairs after her sister, closing the door behind her.

Kono slowly walked around the first floor of the house, staring out every window to make sure nobody was there. Just as she was about to go upstairs to check, she noticed a woman walking close to the house. Kono walked forward, closer to a window to see if she could identify the woman. It was Meredith Townsend.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Kono knew she should call Steve and Catherine and wait for back up. But she wanted to make sure the girls were safe, so she quietly stepped outside, her gun drawn as she slowly made her way around the house.

Nothing. She found nothing. Meredith was nowhere to be found. Had she really been hallucinating? No, she saw Meredith. Kono knows she did.

Suddenly Kono felt someone wrap an arm around her neck. She struggled against the hold and she was pretty sure she could have gotten away if it wasn't for the knife that cut her skin. She felt it pierce her left arm and continue to make a long wound. Kono held back a scream, only whimpering from the pain. She managed to move her arm away from the knife, her elbow hitting her attacker.

"Bitch," a woman's voice came angrily. She held something in front of Kono's face. Chloroform. Kono was soon laying on the ground, unconscious.

Meredith walked toward the front door. She scowled when she found the door was locked. She had to give that cop she knocked out credit; she was smart. Meredith picked the lock and was soon standing in the house.

"Willow, Serenity," she called out with a smirk on her face. She searched the house, finding no one until she opened the door to the basement and walked down the steps.

* * *

As soon as the girls heard Meredith's voice, Serenity turned off the light and pulled her sister behind a set of stacked boxes. Panic spread over them when they heard the basement door open and someone walking down the stairs.

Serenity and Willow stood there, hoping their parents would come home soon.

* * *

Meredith was greeted by pitch black when she opened the basement door. She searched for a light switch and soon the room was bright. The girls had to be there somewhere.

She looked around carefully, not wanting to miss a sign of them. Then she noticed a stack of boxes. Perfect hiding place.

"Hello, girls," Meredith said smugly, pulling them away. "It's been too long."

"No it hasn't," Serenity immediately said, glaring back at the woman.

Meredith wore a glare of her own as she slapped Serenity across the face. "You better be respectful to your aunt, do you understand me?"

"You're not our aunt," Willow bravely stated with determination written all over her face.

Meredith pulled Willow closer to her by her hair. "Yes I am. You both got that? I named you both! You really think your mother could be bothered to name you? You," she said, looking at Serenity. "I named you Serenity because it was ironic. I knew nothing about your life would be serene. Not with our family." A smirk was on her face. Then she looked in Willow's direction. "Your name makes much more sense. Weeping willow. Sorrow. Sadness. How can you say I'm not your aunt when I named both of you?"

"Step away," Catherine's voice came from the top of the stairs, her gun pointed at Meredith. She descended the steps and Steve right behind her.

"Willow, don't look," Serenity advised, pulling her sister close and covering her eyes. Then she closed her eyes, counting the seconds until everything was over.

* * *

Serenity couldn't sleep. She grabbed a blanket before stepping out of her room quietly so she wouldn't wake anybody up. She disabled the house alarm so she could go outside.

Serenity spread the blanket over the sand and sat down on top of it. Pulling her knees to her chest, she stared at the ocean in front of her.

"Hey."

She turned her head to find her father standing there. She gave him a small smile as she replied, "Hi, Daddy."

Steve sat down beside his daughter. "It's almost one-thirty. Couldn't sleep?" he guessed.

Serenity nodded. "I should be happy she's going to prison and she's not going to be able to hurt us. Why don't I feel like that?"

"How do you feel?"

"I don't really know," she admitted with a shrug. "I feel...guilty. Kono got hurt because of us."

"Kono wanted to protect you. Meredith just took her by surprise. She's okay, Serenity."

At the mention of her name, Serenity said, "That's another thing."

"What is?"

"Before you and Mom got here, Meredith told Willow and me she named us. She said Wendy couldn't be bothered to name us. So she chose Serenity because it was ironic and she knew nothing in my life would be serene. She said Willow made more sense because it was associated with sorrow. Like a weeping willow." She paused for a moment before she stated, "I want to change my name."

"Why would you want to do something like that?"

"Because I found out my name is supposed to be ironic."

"You're not changing it."

Serenity snapped her head up at her dad, a bit of anger on her face. "Why not?"

"It has a nice meaning. It's part of who you are. You shouldn't let Meredith be the reason you want to change something about yourself."

It took a few moments before Serenity agreed with a nod. "Okay. You're right."

Steve smiled as he pulled Serenity close to him. "Of course I am." He could tell there was something else on his daughter's mind. "Is something else bothering you?"

Serenity quickly shook her head. "Nope."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "Alright. I thought..." When she spoke again, her voice was quieter than before. "I thought you were going to kill Meredith. Then I got mad at myself because I know you wouldn't sink to her level."

"Believe me, after everything she put you and Willow through, I wanted to. So did your mom. But we couldn't. She's going to prison. She's won't hurt you ever again, honey."

After a few more minutes, Serenity was starting to fall asleep. "Are you ready to go back inside?" Steve asked gently.

"Yes," Serenity said quietly as her father lifted her up and carried her back to the house.

"Goodnight," Steve said as he placed a now-sleeping Serenity on her bed and kissed her forehead. "I love you."

He turned to leave, looking once more at the sleeping form of his daughter. Content that she was safe, Steve left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

When he stepped out into the hallway, Willow walked out of her room, rubbing her eyes. "Daddy? I need to go downstairs."

"What's wrong, Willow?"

"I need some water," she explained as she sleepily started to walk toward the stairs.

Seeing that she was about to crash into the railing, Steve lifted her up and carried her down the stairs. He placed her on a chair at the kitchen table before getting a glass of water.

Willow rested her elbow on the table, her chin in her palm as she kicked her legs back and forth. Something was clearly on her mind. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Willow?"

"Why were Meredith and my old Mommy and Daddy so mean?"

Steve wasn't prepared for that question. How did you tell an innocent little girl that her biological parents were cold-hearted murderers and didn't love her? He thought about what to say that wouldn't bring Willow to tears. The last thing he wanted was to make one of his little girls cry. Thankfully Willow came up with an answer on her own.

"It's 'cause they didn't love us, right? They were mean and did bad things and didn't love us. But it's okay because you and Mommy love us."

Steve put down the glass of water in his hand on the table in front of Willow before crouching down in front of his daughter. "That's right, Willow. We love you very much."

Willow extended her arms as a sign for her father to lift her up while at the same time, Steve reached for her and had her in his arms before a second passed.

"I'm tired, Daddy," Willow proclaimed, her words followed by a yawn.

"It's past your bedtime," Steve commented as he lifted her up. He carried Willow upstairs just like he had done with Serenity earlier and brought her to her room.

"Night, Daddy," Willow said, half asleep as Steve placed her on the bed. "Love you."

"I love you, too. Goodnight, sweetheart."

Steve made his way back to the hallway after closing the door behind him. He was surprised to find Catherine standing beside him.

She smiled and put her arms around his neck. "They're safe."

Steve sighed before he agreed, "They're safe."

Catherine gave him a quick kiss, softly laughing at the expression on her husband's face when she pulled away.


	32. The New Lives

**Hello, everyone! I know it's been a while since I've updated. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post this, but I've had some computer problems. Finally I'm able to post the chapter.**

Lauren couldn't keep the smile off her face as she left the hematology office she worked in. She had found out last night but hadn't told Chin yet, and now she was going to.

It seemed like the drive home took longer than usual as she made her way through the rush hour traffic. When she finally did arrive home, Chin wasn't there yet.

How was she going to tell him? Should she come right out with it as soon as he got home? She could wait until later, after they had dinner and tell him then. Or she could even tell him while they were having dinner.

_If you can keep it a secret for that long_, Lauren told herself, knowing she wasn't good at holding in news as exciting as this was.

She changed out of her scrubs and put on a maroon dress. That morning Chin had said that he would be taking her to a fancy restaurant for dinner that evening. Lauren now decided that would be the perfect opportunity to tell him.

When Chin arrived home and kissed his wife, Lauren had a very hard time keeping the news to herself. She wanted to tell him very badly, the words on the tip of her tongue, but she managed to hold the secret to herself.

"So what's the special occasion?" Lauren asked her husband as they pulled up to a restaurant that was a bit on the expensive side. It wasn't somewhere they went everyday.

Chin turned to look at her with a smile before shrugging as he got out of the car.

"So that's how it's going to be?" Lauren questioned and shook her head but she couldn't keep the grin off her face.

Chin simply kept the same expression on his face as they walked into the restaurant, not giving anything away.

"Really, Chin, what's the occasion?" Lauren questioned when they were seated. She couldn't take not knowing much longer and she didn't want to tell Chin until she found out what the occasion was.

"Does there have to be an occasion?"

Lauren leaned forward slightly, sending him a questioning expression. "You tell me. Why?" Even though she had something very important she needed to tell him, she wanted to find out what Chin had planned.

Chin shrugged again, leaning back against the chair as he crossed his arms with a smile still on his face. "It's Friday, the first one in a while when we're both not working."

Even though Lauren nodded, she knew her husband and she could tell there was something he wasn't telling her. "Alright. I guess I'll accept that."

"Why? Do you think there's something else?"

"_Is _there something else?"

Chin leaned towards his wife and said, "I wanted to tell you I think it's time we go on a real honeymoon. Not just another island. What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea," Lauren stated, now knowing Chin's reason for taking her to that restaurant. But she had something she needed to tell him as well, so she continued, "I have something to tell you also."

"Okay," Chin said, prompting Lauren to continue.

Taking a deep breath as a smile spread across her face, Lauren announced, "I'm pregnant." Then she watched as a smile to match hers appeared on her husband's face.

"Really?"

Lauren nodded as she continued to sport a grin on her face. "Yes, really."

Chin reached for Lauren's hands and held them in his own. Their eyes locked as they stared back at each other, their gazes filled with love. After what seemed like such a long time, they were _finally_ going to be parents.

* * *

Kono, Catherine, Mary, Lauren, Grace, Willow, and Serenity all accompanied Kono when she went to find her wedding dress, just like they did for the previous weddings in their family. Kono was looking for something with long sleeves so she could hide the scar on her arm that was left when the wound Meredith gave her healed.

Serenity felt guilty when she heard Kono say she was looking for long sleeves. It was her and her sister Kono was protecting when she received the nasty cut on her arm. She couldn't help the guilt she felt.

She walked closer to Kono so she could apologize. With her eyes holding a bit of sorrow, she said, "Auntie Kono? I'm sorry. Meredith never would've hurt you if it wasn't for me."

Kono turned away from the dress she was looking at so she could face Serenity with serious eyes to reflect her words. "I don't want to hear you talk like that, honey. I would get my other arm cut up if that's what it took to protect you."

Serenity smiled at Kono's words and she didn't feel as guilty after the reassurance. She thought of Kono as an older sister and she wanted to make sure she wasn't angry. "Alright. I just thought you were mad."

"Of course not." Wanting to change the subject to something with a happier tone, Kono asked, "Hey, what do you think of this?"

"I like it," Serenity commented as she looked at the dress. "It's pretty."

The girls spent the rest of the day shopping and Kono was able to find a dress. When they finally sat down to eat after a long day of walking around stores, Lauren said she had something to tell everyone. With a smile on her face and her hands resting on her stomach, she announced, "Twins. Chin and I are expecting twins."

Between that announcement and Kono's wedding, there was plently to talk about for the rest of the day.


	33. The Twins

**I'm sorry this has taken so long! There should be one more chapter after this one. We've made it to the end of the story!**

There was nothing else to say other than that Kono looked beautiful in her wedding dress. Her look was completed by an elegant updo underneath a veil trimmed with lace that matched her dress.

But she noticed something wasn't right, and it didn't have anything to do with her dress or her hair or anything like that. She noticed Willow's sad eyes staring at the arm Meredith Townsend made a large cut with a knife on that left a scar.

"Willow?" Kono asked gently, staring down at the little girl.

"Yes, Auntie Kono?" she asked, the sorrow evident in her voice.

"Why are you sad?"

Willow's lip started to quiver as her eyes flooded with tears that she stubbornly held back. "'Cause it's my fault."

"What's your fault?"

"Your arm. She...she hurt you 'cause of me." She bit her lip and still tried to hold back her tears.

"Please don't cry, sweetie. You look so beautiful in your dress. Don't cry," Kono said as she placed a hand on Willow's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Auntie Kono."

Kono sighed. "You're just like your sister, Willow. It's not your fault, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, we have to leave soon, and we don't want to leave Ben waiting, right?"

Willow nodded, slowly becoming more at ease. "Right."

"So we can't be late! Are you ready to go?"

Smiling, Willow stood up. "I'm ready."

"Alright, then, let's get going."

As Willow began to walk out of the room, Kono thought about how awful it was for the poor little girl to feel guilty for everything. She was almost ten years old and she had already gone through so much.

Soon Kono followed her downstairs where eventually everyone gathered before they left.

* * *

It was difficult to miss the look on Kono's face. It was clear that she was nervous, evidence for that appearing as she bit her lip. Catherine, Mary, and Lauren put forth their best efforts to calm her down.

"You nervous, Kono?" Catherine asked in a soft tone.

Kono gave a short laugh as she shrugged. "A little."

"There's nothing to be nervous about," she assured her. "You're going to marry the man that you love. Getting married, having kids? Best moments of your life."

"O...kay," Kono said shakily.

"All you have to do is remember that Ben is waiting for you at the end of the aisle," Mary suggested. "That's when all your nerves will go away."

"I'll do that," Kono replied with a nod, though she still looked nervous.

"This is your special day, Kono. It's not a day you should feel nervous on. You have nothing to worry about," Lauren said in an attempt to comfort her.

"I know, it's just...I'm not used to this. I don't feel comfortable in a dress like this and what if Ben..."

"Hold on, hold on," Catherine said quickly. "I felt the exact same way. But you look beautiful, Kono. You can't get yourself worked up over it because when you see Ben standing there, your fear is going to go away and you'll feel so stupid for even thinking about it. Trust me. I'm talking from experience."

"Thank you. All of you. Thank you very much," Kono said, appreciative.

She followed all of their advice. When she saw Ben, Mary's words echoed in her head. _He's waiting_.

Kono took a deep breath. Then, with her father by her side, she took a step forward.

* * *

Lauren went into labor two days after Kono and Ben arrived back on the island from their honeymoon. The newlyweds, along with the rest of the family, waited in the hospital for news.

Finally Chin stepped into the waiting room with what Danny and Steve immediately recognized as the new father look on his face. After several questions were thrown at him, he said, "Victoria? Lauren wanted me to come get you."

Smiling, Victoria Rollins rose to her feet and accompanied her son-in-law back to Lauren's room.

"Really? You're not going to tell us anything?" Danny called after him, receiving no answer.

When Chin and Victoria arrived at the room, Lauren beamed at them with the twins in her arms.

Victoria quickly made her way over to her daughter's bedside. "Oh, honey."

"This is Chin Ho because we had to satisfy my husband's ego," Lauren introduced the boy she held.

"I'm pretty sure it was your suggestion to name him after me," Chin reminded her.

Lauren just smiled at him before continuing. "And Mom? This is Victoria."

Her eyes slightly wide, Lauren's mother asked, "Victoria?"

"Yeah, Mom, after you."

"Oh, honey," Victoria said again, a smile appearing on her face. "You're going to be such a wonderful mother, Lauren. I'm so proud of you."

"Do you want to hold her? I figure we'll call her 'Tori' for short," Lauren announced.

"Of course I want to hold her," Victoria agreed, extending her arms to hold the newborn. As she leaned back in the chair beside her daughter's bed, she began speaking to her son-in-law with amusement in her voice. "Chin, you have a lot of people upset with you at the moment. As a matter of fact, they're all in the waiting room."

Chin smirked. "They're all waiting for news," he explained to Lauren. "I'm going to go fill them in on everything."

Before he left, Chin and Lauren shared a glance. Finally they had what they wanted for so long.


	34. The Graduation

**Thank you to everyone who has either read, reviewed, favorited, or subscribed to this story! I'm sad to see this story come to an end but "Coming Together" is at it's last chapter!**

She couldn't believe it. She was graduating from high school. She had always thought the abuse she suffered from would get in the way and she wouldn't make it to high school.

But it was actually happening. She made it through twelve years with her abusive parents, her sister by her side, and finally someone had rescued them.

"I can't believe you're graduating," Steve said from the doorway of his oldest daughter's room.

Serenity looked up from where she was sitting on the window seat and smiled. "What? Did you think I wasn't smart enough?"

"Very funny," Steve replied as he walked into the room and sat beside her. "No, I mean I can't believe you're eighteen."

"Don't worry, Dad, you don't look old enough to have a daughter who's eighteen," Serenity said with a laugh.

Steve sighed as he put his arm around Serenity and pulled her close to him. "It's been six years. You were only twelve." He shook his head, thinking about how fast the years had gone by.

"Yeah, and a dorky little kid," Serenity said with a grin.

Steve gave a short laugh. "Nothing's really changed."

"Daddy!" Serenity exclaimed, grabbing a pillow from beside her and hitting him on the arm with it.

He laughed again as he pulled the pillow away from Serenity's hands and tossed it on the ground. "Violence is never the answer."

"Oh, yeah, I know you really believe in that," Serenity sarcastically fired back at him. Then she turned to look at the clock on the nightstand beside her bed. "It's almost time to go."

"To your graduation. You're all grown up now, kiddo."

Serenity knew what he was thinking about. In just a short period of time, she was going to the United States Naval Academy.

"Dad, I'm going to be okay. Trust me. With you and Mom as my examples? I'll be fine."

Steve didn't say anything for a minute. Then he stood up. "Alright, Serenity, time to go."

Serenity followed his example and rose to her feet. She couldn't help the lone tear that fell down her face and even though she was quick to wipe it away, she knew her father had seen.

"I know you don't want me to go, but it's what I want to do. Besides, Jeremy's going to the Air Force Academy. He'll be in Colorado and I'll be in Annapolis."

"Yeah, that's the one good thing about this."

"I don't even understand why you don't like him. He's really nice and really smart-"

"It's not him, Serenity," Steve quickly said because he knew his daughter could go on for a while.

"Right. Because Willow and I are your little girls and blah, blah, blah. I've heard it at least twenty times, Dad."

* * *

The whole family sat in the crowd, waiting for the graduation to begin. Steve and Catherine sat with their other two kids, Chin and Lauren beside them with their twins. Mary and Danny, along with their son and daughter, arrived shortly after. A pregnant Kono was right behind them with Ben at her side, their daughter and son with them.

Serenity was talking to Jeremy before the graduation started. They were going to be seperated soon, her at the Naval Academy, him at the Air Force Academy, and every moment they had together now counted more than ever.

Soon the students were lining up and Serenity and Jeremy stood in their respective places.

It wasn't long before names were called and students walked across to receive their diplomas. Serenity searched for her family in the crowd and grinned when she spotted her parents. As more names were called, it was getting closer to her turn.

"Serenity McGarrett."

Hearing her name called and receiving her diploma meant a lot more to Serenity than graduating from high school. It symbolized something else. As she took in the proud faces of her parents, she realized graduating was a milestone in many ways. She never thought she would have a family sitting among the sea of people before her.

Serenity caught her sister's glance and she could tell Willow was thinking the same thing. This would not be happening if it wasn't for Steve McGarrett walking into their old house that day and saving them, if it wasn't for he and Catherine taking them in and adopting them, if it wasn't for the loving home they had lived in for the past six years. So much would be different, but they had been lucky. Willow and Serenity had been rescued.

When the ceremony was over, Serenity found her parents. They immediately enveloped her in their arms.

"We're so proud of you, sweetheart," Steve said, resulting in a grin spreading across Serenity's face.

* * *

Catherine sighed as she cleaned the kitchen. The house had just been filled with family and Serenity's friends. The graduation party had ended a little over ten minutes ago.

Serenity entered the kitchen to see to her mom. It was late and she was tired, but it had been so crazy before and she didn't get the chance to talk to her earlier.

"Hey, Mom," she greeted, starting to help clean the room.

"Hey, Serenity."

"I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier, but thank you. For everything you've done for me."

And that was all it took to send Catherine into tears-happy tears, of course. She extended her arms toward her daughter, pulling Serenity into a hug. "I love you so much, sweetie."

"I love you, too, Mom," Serenity said as she thought back to the first few months when her father took she and her sister in. She didn't accept her mother very quickly. "I'm so sorry for all the trouble I gave you when you guys first took us in."

"You don't need to apologize, Serenity. That's history."

"I finally got John to go to bed," Steve told his wife, speaking loudly enough so she could hear in the kitchen as he descended the last few steps until he entered the living room with Willow right behind him. "He kept arguing that his sisters got to stay up later than him."

They walked into the kitchen to find Serenity wrapped in her mother's arms. The mother and daughter duo smiled at them. Soon the four all stood around the kitchen, Steve and Catherine close to each other as they leaned against the counter, the girls sitting at the table.

It wasn't long before John walked down the stairs and into the kitchen as well.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping, buddy?" his father asked him.

"I didn't want to be left out," he announced with a shrug.

Catherine smiled. "Come here, honey." She held her arm out, gesturing for him to head over.

The four-year-old walked over to his parents and stood between both of them. Steve lifted him off the ground, with Catherine placing a hand on their son's back. "Only a few more minutes, John, and then you're going to sleep."

He nodded in understanding before yawning, not even bothering to argue this time about his sisters being able to stay up later than him.

The McGarrett family reflected on the last six years, their memories sending them into laughter. John at four, Willow at thirteen, and Serenity at eighteen, it seemed like the years had gone by in a flash.

Steve and Catherine looked at each other lovingly, their son now asleep, their daughters laughing at memories of the past years. How did their lives turn out to be so great?


End file.
